Simmonds praises Morgan Rielly for going after Nikita Zadorov in his absence

During the first period, Flames defender Nikita Zadorov delivered a massive hit on Leafs forward Ondrej Kase that was so violent that it sent Kase's helmet flying off of his head. Kase left the ice directly after the hit and did not return to the game (precautionary reasons).

Following the play, Morgan Rielly chased Zadorov down, grabbed ahold of him and made sure to let the Flames defender know that the Leafs did not like the hit. A scrum ensued and penalties were issued, but ultimately nobody was forced to drop the gloves and answer the bell. Just as well, because Zadorov likely has 6 inches and 40 lbs on Rielly.

Nevertheless, it was something that stuck with Simmonds, who was watching from home with his wife and newborn baby. Simmonds, who fought Canes defender Brendan Smith earlier this week had this to say about he and his teammates having each other's backs.

"Just let people know that that's not acceptable. We stick up for one another. I was watching that game in Calgary & I thought Mo did a great job going after Zadorov after he hit Kase. I was extremely proud of that."

If the Leafs can adopt this mentality from the top of the lineup to the bottom, they'll be a much harder team to play against in the postseason. We have seen a bit more pushback from the Buds this season after the whistles, and the more feisty approach tends to yield better results. Simmonds knows all about that and hopefully the Leafs continue that trend as the clock winds down on the regular season and starts to tick in the playoffs.