Morgan Rielly previews Battle of Ontario ahead of final tune up game vs. Red Wings

Having secured top of the Atlantic Division Tuesday, the Toronto Maple Leafs are sitting pretty as they cruise into their final regular season game Thursday night, set to take on the Detroit Red Wings, before the Battle of Ontario begins this weekend.

The Leafs have owned the Ottawa Senators in the postseason historically, but it’s been over two decades since their last playoff encounter. More recently, the Senators are unbeaten against the Leafs in their last five contests, with clear tensions building.

As the Battle of Ontario gets ready to take centre stage in the playoffs in this new era for these two teams, longtime Leaf Morgan Rielly spoke about the incoming series after Thursday morning’s practice. Despite the history between the two cities, he denied it will be any more spirited than the usual intensity that comes with postseason hockey.

“I think it’s just natural intensity just because it’s the playoffs and there’s more at stake,” Rielly said Thursday morning. “You look around at the other matchups, they’re all gonna be very intense and they’re all gonna be very competitive. That’s what you get this time of year, that’s what makes it fun.”

Ottawa swept the season series against Toronto this year, winning the three contests by scores of 3-0, 2-1, and 4-2, and are now making its first playoff appearance since 2017. Asked about the strength of the Senators’ squad, Rielly readily admitted that the Leafs will need to make some adjustments.

“They’re a really good team,” Rielly said. “They defend well, good special teams, their goalie, they’re deep. We gotta make a strategy and plan out what that looks like.”

Looking at how the Leafs have struggled in the playoffs for decades now, Rielly was also asked what may be different about the group this year. Rielly is the longest-tenured Maple Leafs player and he offered some perspective on where their focus is heading into another Cup run.

“It’s tough to compare,” Rielly said. “I think the goal is always that growth, year after year you’re going to be more prepared and you’re going to learn from what’s happened in the past. Now for us it’s just about doing what we can over the next few days to prepare. We’re happy with where we’re at in the standings, but ultimately it doesn’t matter … we just need to go out there and win.

Game One between the Senators and the Leafs is reportedly expected to begin Sunday, where a dormant rivalry will be fully renewed.