Rielly hasn't played against Greig since the Maple Leafs defenseman cross-checked him in the head, resulting in a suspension.
Over the last week, Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly was asked why his team seems to play so well when Auston Matthews is out of the lineup. Rielly, quick to point out a statistic he knew well, responded with a smile.
“They play well without me, too.”
Last season, Rielly was suspended for five games by the NHL's Department of Player Safety after reacting to Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig’s emphatic slapshot into an empty net. The Leafs managed to win all five games without him.
“It’s not the way I intended it to go,” Rielly told reporters, including TSN’s Mark Masters. “But it’s in the past.”
Rielly doesn’t expect any tension in his upcoming matchup with Greig, their first since the incident, saying, “Whatever happens, happens.”
Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves, however, thinks the game might get physical due to the nature of it being 'The Battle of Ontario".
“These are always pretty heated games,” Reaves told TSN. “They always seem to be physical, high-intensity games. I think whatever happened last year just adds a little bit to it, but I don’t think that’s going to turn up the temperature much more than it has been.”
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW1pqSHmMzY[/embed]
When the incident occurred in February, it was the last regular-season meeting between the division rivals. Though they met twice in the pre-season, Rielly and Greig weren’t in the lineup for the same game.
The Leafs are 9-5-2 and sit in second place in the Atlantic Division. They are winners of three straight games. The Senators are 7-7-0 are in sixth place in the same division.
Lineups
Auston Matthews is doubtful for Tuesday’s game, and the club has waived defenseman Matt Benning with the intention of assigning him to the minors. After 2 p.m. ET, the Leafs’ roster will sit at 22 players, opening the door for Jani Hakanpaa to be activated, pending medical clearance. Signed to a one-year, $1.47 million contract before training camp, the big defenseman hasn’t played since March 16 due to a knee injury.
Connor Dewar is expected to make his season debut following offseason shoulder surgery. Max Domi and William Nylander missed practice for maintenance but are both expected to play Tuesday against the Senators.
On the Senators’ side, forward Shane Pinto is anticipated to return to the lineup after missing the last eight games with an unspecified injury.
Where to watch
Fans in the Maple Leafs’ region can catch the game on TSN4, while those in the Ottawa area can tune in on TSN5. Across Canada, the game will be available on Sportsnet+ Premium. In the U.S., fans can stream the game on ESPN+.