Legendary Leafs announcer has a special request for Leafs Nation ahead of tonight's rematch with Vegas
Tonight's matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights represents Morgan Rielly's first home game since the Ridly Grieg incident. Rielly hasn't played in the friendly confines of Scotiabank Arena since the 7th of February, but legendary announcer Joe Bowen has a message for Leafs Nation regarding the defensemen's return:
Night against Vegas. He certainly deserves it"
The Maple Leafs rattled off 5 consecutive victories in Rielly's absence against the St. Louis Blues (twice), Philadelphia Flyers, Anaheim Ducks, and Arizona Coyotes. On top of that, they are currently riding a 7-game winning streak for the first time since 2003 after wins against Vegas and Colorado, and many have pointed to Rielly's altercation with Grieg as the catalyst for the mid-season turnaround.
Rielly hasn't done anything out of the ordinary in 10+ seasons with the Maple Leafs but even he admitted that the emotions got the best of him after Grieg fired a home a slap-shot into the empty net with time winding down. He served his suspension and has been eased back into the lineup with 18:37 TOI against Vegas and 20:43 TOI against Colorado - a far cry from his 24:11 ATOI on the season.
The Maple Leafs look like a completely different team and the change in mentality has come at just the right time with the trade deadline just over a week away and the playoffs less than 2 months from commencement. After 4 straight wins on the road, look for Toronto to come out with some gumption tonight with the home crowd on their side. Hopefully Rielly gets the standing ovation that Bowen is requesting from Leafs Nation.
| POLL | ||
27 FEVRIER | 540 ANSWERS Legendary Leafs announcer has a special request for Leafs Nation ahead of tonight's rematch with Vegas Do you think Rielly's suspension was the catalyst to the winning streak? | ||
| Yes, absolutely | 384 | 71.1 % |
| No, mere coincidence | 156 | 28.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
