‘Makes Me Feel A Bit Better’: Morgan Rielly Reflects On Maple Leafs’ Strong Record With And Without Auston Matthews

Matthews is set to miss his second straight game with an upper-body injury against the Red Wings on Friday.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are set to take on the Detroit Red Wings on Friday in the Hockey Hall of Fame game at Scotiabank Arena without their superstar forward and captain Auston Matthews for the second straight game as he works through an upper-body injury.

However, the Leafs have done just fine in his absence over the years, going 36-19-2 without Matthews in the lineup. Defenseman Morgan Rielly can attest to this feeling, with the Leafs going 5-0-0 last season when the 30-year-old was suspended for five games without pay for cross-checking Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig, the first five-game win streak of the season for the club. 

“Makes me feel a bit better because I know the record when I’m out is pretty good too,” Rielly said at pre-game availability. 

According to Statmuse, the Leafs have gone 46-20-7 all-time without Rielly’s services. Toronto’s success without Matthews may not immediately make sense, but it underscores a unique strength that Rielly attributes to the team’s collective responsibility and ability to step up in big moments. The lesson, Rielly believes, is that when key players are out, others are motivated to pull their weight even more.

“I think it’s just a matter of guys trying to take on more responsibility. You realize that you’re at a loss without him and guys have to step up and pull more weight,” Rielly explained.

With Matthews, Toronto boasts a strong 327-174-74 record, a testament to his impact on the ice through 575 regular season games. 

“The goal will always be to have that mentality when everyone is healthy and playing, but when you lose a player, and an extremely important player like him, you need more out of everyone. When you’re able to achieve that, you’re able to come together as a team in a way, and guys take on more responsibility and play well.”

Specifically speaking, Toronto’s power play has also shown some adaptability in Matthews’ absence, scoring three times on the man advantage against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday.

Rielly acknowledged that, without Matthews, the power play can become a bit more fluid with a change in game plan, and players don’t feel the same pressure to get the puck to their star center. This change can make Toronto’s attack less predictable, which could potentially benefit them in Matthews' absence, as displayed on Tuesday.

“(When) you don’t have your top guy, you have to step up, and everyone has to be a bit more crisp, and everyone has to be a bit more on,” Rielly noted. “Again, you want to be able to achieve that when everyone is in; you want to have that high level of execution, and I think we’ve had that at times with everyone in."

"But with him out, guys have to step up. Do you change your plan? Yeah, a little bit, because he is kind of the focus of it, but I don’t think that is a reflection of results. That’s just a different mentality. That’s what happens when guys miss time.”

The Leafs’ recent efforts bode well with a level of rising confidence heading into Friday’s game against Detroit, and though they’ll be without Matthews again, the track record shows the club is well-equipped to handle the challenge with a next-man-up mentality.