According to Moneypuck.com, the Ottawa Senators have a better chance of winning the Stanley Cup than the Toronto Maple Leafs/ Fact or fiction? VANCOUVER — Morgan Rielly is looking like himself again. The Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman scored his team's only goal in a 2-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Saturday. Although it came in a losing effort, Rielly extended his points streak to four games (one goal and three assists) giving the offensive defenseman a much-needed boost of confidence in his game. "I've got more to go. I've got more to give," Rielly said after the game. " Rielly extended his points streak to four games (one goal, and three assists), matching a season-high. He scored his first goal in over a month and seems to have found strength in his game during Toronto's four-game road trip which spanned Western Canada and Seattle. Before the game, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube talked about how Toronto's first long road trip of the season was a positive for the club, citing fewer distractions than at home. It's hard to argue that point in Rielly's case as the defenseman really struggled with his game before the team went west. "He's definitely moving better and activating more and, you know, looking to produce more," Berube said of Rielly after the game. The Leafs break for the 4 Nations Face-Off and while Rielly's game has improved the break will be beneficial to him and the rest of his teammates as the club recovers from the grind that was the first two-thirds of the season. Rielly still has the worst plus-minus of any Leaf right now at -15 but that's improved from where it was before as it was mostly a reflection of how absent the player's contributions were offensively. And even though Rielly has improved he's very much embracing a couple of weeks off as mandated by the NHL's best-on-best tournament coming up. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A12TgSUBoBk[/embed] "I think we all feel that way. And I think the timing of this break is great. We're going to come back. Ee're all going to ramp up. We're all going to look to improve and help the team and individually look to improve our game. Just get rolling." Rielly — a cornerstone of the Maple Leafs' defense and a player with a hefty $7.5 million annual salary cap — has been relied upon for his offensive prowess and ability to contribute significantly to the team's scoring. With six goals and 20 assists in 55 games, the player is still on pace for his lowest point total since the 2017-18 season. But there's time yet for the defenseman to turn it around. And the last four games are certainly an encouraging sign. "He's been really good on the back end for us," Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies said. "He's got confidence back and really moving the puck well and he's fine in the back of net so that's all we can ask for him." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjExNjM5NDEwNTc4NDM0MDI0/googlenews.svg] Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwytvfCA?ceid=CA:en&oc=3] to never miss a story.
