The fight was Rielly's first since Dec. 20, 2024, against Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have received the message.
When nobody stood up to Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas after his knee to Auston Matthews last week, questions arose about the team's culture. Multiple players said after the game that they should've stepped in quicker, but by then it was too late.
In every game since, the Maple Leafs have made it their MO to be a more physical team, one that could've been in a playoff spot had they battled like that from the start of the year.
Entering Tuesday's game against the New York Islanders, the Maple Leafs had two fighting majors in their last three games, dating back to when they played the Ducks.
It was Easton Cowan who dropped the mitts first, fighting Jackson LaCombe in the third period against Anaheim. Then, Dakota Joshua went toe-to-toe with Luke Schenn on Saturday night against the Buffalo Sabres.
Although there were no fights against the Minnesota Wild on Sunday, the Maple Leafs won and picked up five of a possible six points since Matthews went down with a Grade 3 MCL tear and a quad contusion.
On the morning of Tuesday's game against the Islanders, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said he has spoken to his team daily about standing up for their teammates.
"That's what we need to look like all the time," he continued.
Toronto picked up its first regulation loss in four games on Tuesday night against the Islanders, falling 3-1, with the lone goal coming from Steven Lorentz in the second period.
However, the fighting spirit was still quite evident, as Berube had wanted earlier in the day.
Minutes after Lorentz's second-period goal, Islanders forward Kyle MacLean cut in front of the net and clipped the pad of Joseph Woll, causing the goaltender to lose his balance.
Morgan Rielly — who expressed regret with how he handled the Gudas situation — immediately went for MacLean, and the two eventually fought. And while it was more grappling than throwing punches, it spoke volumes to the players trying to spark change.
"It's a great job by (Rielly) getting in there and sticking up for Joseph," Berube said following Tuesday's loss. "Obviously, that message has gotten across."
The fight was Rielly's first since Dec. 20, 2024, against the Buffalo Sabres, when he dropped the gloves with Tage Thompson.
Funny enough, that fight occurred because Rielly didn't like the hit Thompson threw on Matthews.
"It's not something I do a lot. I'm not very good at it," Rielly said on Tuesday night. "But I think it's important here down the stretch for our group."
It's been night and day how physical the Maple Leafs have been since Matthews' season ended at the hands of Gudas. Are they feeling pressure to do more — and fight — because of how much it's being discussed amongst fans and media?
"No, pressure is not the right word," Rielly responded.
"But we've talked about it and it's at the front of our minds, just in terms of playing hard. There's no pressure on anyone to go out and do something they're not comfortable doing. It's just more a matter of playing hard and keeping that going for the last month."
The Maple Leafs now have 13 games left in their season.
A big question is: Can they keep this up for the remainder of the year? An even bigger question, though, is: Can they be that same physical team next season, when every opponent is back at zero points again?