Caps/Leafs game gets rough; Morgan Rielly flattens Johan Larsson
Earlier this year, with about 20 games to go, Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe challenged his team to be more physical as the Leafs prepare for the playoffs. It looks like Morgan Rielly got that message loud and clear in a rough game against the Washington Capitals:
Since the Leafs acquired the hard hitting Ilya Lyubushkin back on February 20th, the team has been noticeably more physical. Last week we saw Leafs star forward Mitch Marner throw 13 hits in a two span game, and now we see Morgan Rielly get into the action.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been called out in past years for being too soft. But when you see stars like Rielly and Marner throw there weight around it can become contagious for the entire team.
This hit was not the only physical incident against the Capitals, a team littered with grit and toughness. We also saw Leafs' forward Kyle Clifford drop the gloves with Caps' forward Tom Wilson after Wilson ran into Leaf goaltender Jack Campbell. Seeing the Leafs throw the body and stand up for each other against a physical team like the Capitals is certainly encouraging heading into the playoffs.
As a side note, congrats to Rielly on becoming just the 5th defenseman and the 16th player to record 300 assists as a Maple Leaf.
