Ryan OB次元官网网址橰eilly stepped in front of the cameras and microphones to face the music following a disastrous playoff opener.
The Maple Leafs forward and his teammates had just been thumped 7-3 on home ice by the battle-tested Tampa Bay Lightning in a humbling curtain-raiser to their first-round series.
Toronto looked nothing like the group that cruised to a 111-point finish in the regular season on a forgettable, worrying night.
Sloppy, unsure and nervous were just some of the less-colourful adjectives being used to describe the performance outside the locker roomB次元官网网址檚 four walls.
OB次元官网网址橰eilly calmly answered each question with a self-assurance that comes from reaching the NHL summit.
There was no panic, no worry, no concern.
B次元官网网址淲e were just dipping our toes in,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭hat happens.B次元官网网址�
A Stanley Cup champion and Conn Smythe Trophy winner in an organization populated by very few players with any tangible playoff success on their resumes, OB次元官网网址橰eilly was acquired from the St. Louis Blues prior to the trade deadline by a franchise desperate to flip its post-season narrative on the ice.
The 32-year-old might be just as valuable off it.
The Leafs rebounded from that embarrassing Game 1 performance with a 7-2 victory two nights later before picking up a 4-3 overtime victory Saturday against a Tampa roster that won the Cup in 2020 and 2021 before once again making last yearB次元官网网址檚 final.
OB次元官网网址橰eillyB次元官网网址檚 fingerprints were all over that Game 3 performance.
Despite his line that largely consisted of Noel Acciari and rookie Matthew Knies not having a great night, the Clinton, Ont., native stepped up in the biggest moments.
He helped set up AcciariB次元官网网址檚 1-0 goal, tied things late in the third, blocked a shot right before the end of regulation and won the faceoff that led to Morgan RiellyB次元官网网址檚 clincher in the extra session.
OB次元官网网址橰eilly hasnB次元官网网址檛 seen it all, but heB次元官网网址檚 seen more than most.
B次元官网网址淟ots of itB次元官网网址檚 personality and lots of itB次元官网网址檚 experience,B次元官网网址� Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe said. B次元官网网址淭he team that weB次元官网网址檙e trying to beat here has a team full of those guys.
B次元官网网址淥nce youB次元官网网址檝e won, youB次元官网网址檝e got that extra swagger and confidence B次元官网网址� you donB次元官网网址檛 get rattled or fazed.B次元官网网址�
OB次元官网网址橰eilly, who won the Cup with St. Louis in 2019, including a Game 7 road victory in the final over the Boston Bruins, has consistently shown an ability to raise his own level in the toughest moments.
HeB次元官网网址檚 averaged 0.71 points per game in the regular season throughout his career, but that number bumps up to 0.91 in the playoffs following SaturdayB次元官网网址檚 one-goal, two-assist performance.
B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檚 won a Stanley Cup,B次元官网网址� Acciari, who was also part of the trade with St. Louis, said of that seasonB次元官网网址檚 playoff MVP.
B次元官网网址淭his is his time.B次元官网网址�
Rielly B次元官网网址� not to be confused with OB次元官网网址橰eilly B次元官网网址� said the 2019 Selke Trophy winner as the leagueB次元官网网址檚 top defensive forward continually rises to the occasion.
B次元官网网址淗ow he rolls,B次元官网网址� said the Toronto defenceman. B次元官网网址淧laying against him and now playing with him, you can tell that he really likes those moments and those challenges.B次元官网网址�
Leafs centre Auston Matthews, whose club is looking for its first series win since 2004, said OB次元官网网址橰eilly is a student of his craft.
B次元官网网址淕reat brain,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淎 guy that makes you earn it.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淜nows what it takes to go the distance,B次元官网网址� added Toronto winger Mitch Marner. B次元官网网址淐omes in with just a calm mindset every time. He does everything right.B次元官网网址�
OB次元官网网址橰eilly suffered a broken foot in January when he was still with the Blues before fracturing a finger in March following the trade, which means heB次元官网网址檚 only played 56 combined games this season.
B次元官网网址淲e got him for these moments,B次元官网网址� said Keefe, who moved OB次元官网网址橰eilly off a line with John Tavares following the Game 1 debacle to form an effective trio with Acciari and Knies.
B次元官网网址淧retty evident the impact on the game that he has,B次元官网网址� Tavares said. B次元官网网址淛ust gets it done.B次元官网网址�
OB次元官网网址橰eilly will hope to continue on that path Monday when Toronto looks to take a 3-1 stranglehold on the best-of-seven matchup with Tampa.
B次元官网网址淲e knew he was going to be an important member of our team,B次元官网网址� Keefe said. B次元官网网址淗e certainly has been in this series.B次元官网网址�
MUTED GOALTENDING
Leafs netminder Ilya Samsonov wasnB次元官网网址檛 available to reporters following SaturdayB次元官网网址檚 game or SundayB次元官网网址檚 media availability after speaking in the wake of Games 1 and 2.
Lightning counterpart Andrei Vasilevskiy, meanwhile, hasnB次元官网网址檛 spoken publicly since the start of the playoffs.
B次元官网网址淗ave you been talking to Vasilevsky at all in this series?B次元官网网址� Keefe replied when asked why Samsonov has been silenced.
B次元官网网址淛ust let him play goal.B次元官网网址�
Knies said the goaltender still does plenty of chatting behind the scenes.
B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檚 actually really funny,B次元官网网址� said the 20-year-old. B次元官网网址淪ome of the little things he does, itB次元官网网址檚 different. HeB次元官网网址檚 quite the character.
B次元官网网址淭he way he chats and just like moves around the rink B次元官网网址� itB次元官网网址檚 so Russian, I donB次元官网网址檛 know how to explain it.B次元官网网址�
KNIES ON PRIZE
The winger was on the ice in the dying moments of Game 3 before OB次元官网网址橰eilly tied the score as he continues to gain KeefeB次元官网网址檚 trust.
Knies played three regular-season contests after signing with the Leafs earlier this month at the conclusion of his NCAA season with the University of Minnesota.
B次元官网网址淐an make a play and be a difference maker,B次元官网网址� Keefe said.
The Phoenix native actually lost U.S. college hockeyB次元官网网址檚 Frozen Four final at TampaB次元官网网址檚 Amalie Arena on April 8.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 a little more mature than I thought I was,B次元官网网址� Knies said of what heB次元官网网址檚 learned about himself over a whirlwind two-week stretch. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 just been fun learning from everyone here.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 pretty cool to take in all the day-to-day process and get to be amongst some of the best players in the world.B次元官网网址�
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Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
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