It was maybe their most complete game of the season so far and with the effort, the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Boston Bruins by a score of 4-0. It was the first time this season that the Maple Leafs saw their powerplay come alive and — along with going six-for-six on the penalty kill — the team was able to collectively get the job done.
With his goal at 8:44 of the second period, the 84th of his career, Morgan Rielly has passed Tomas Kaberle (83) and Bryan McCabe (83) for sole possession of fifth in franchise history for goals scored among Maple Leafs defencemen.
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) November 6, 2024
Along with their shutdown play, the Maple Leafs saw their defensive corps account for four of the 11 points accumulated by the team — including Morgan Rielly’s three points, opening the scoring midway through the second period.
For Rielly, it was the fourth goal of his season after scoring just seven all of last season. It was an important career marker as well, as it was his 84th career goal and the 84th in a Maple Leafs’ uniform.
The goal pushed him out of a tie with two former Maple Leafs’ blueliners on the team’s all-time defensive goal scoring list and moved him into sole possession of fourth on the franchises list. Going into the game on Tuesday against the Bruins, Rielly was tied with Tomas Kaberle (83) and Bryan McCabe (83), but surpassed the former tandem with his second period tally.
Related: Maple Leafs’ Morgan Rielly Scores in 800th Career NHL Game
He now sits 25 goals back of the late Tim Horton (109) for third on the franchise’s all-time list and 64 back of the late Börje Salming for tops on that list. His three-point night also puts him within 39 points of tying Kaberle on the team’s all-time points list by a defenceman — a testament to his consistency with the Maple Leafs over his career.
So far this season, Rielly sits second to Cale Makar (5) in goals by a defenceman and tied for 10th in points.
His best offensive season came in 2018-19 when he had 20 goals and 72 points in 82 games and averaged 0.87 points per game. As of now, he’s on pace for 52 points this season, but that could change with a couple more three-point performances like Tuesday night.
