Post-game reactions from the players after the Maple Leafs’ 5-2 win over the Blue Jackets on Wednesday night.
Morgan Rielly
Seems to be a consistency here game-to-game, resilience and belief in each other. What’s your perspective, Morgan?
Rielly: Yeah, they’re a very good team. We knew that was going to be a challenge coming in. We knew what kind of game it was going to be – hard fought, close, tight-checking. I mean, they played well. You’ve got to give credit to our PK with a big response there to the major penalty, but it’s a big win for us. We’ve got another big one tomorrow night so we’ve got to be ready again.
What aspects of the PK stood out for you in terms of limiting them to just a shot in the first five, anyway?
Rielly: Just the pressure we put on them. We were able to take away their time and space, make their entries tough. Whenever you can do that on the PK, I think it’s good. Their power play has been one of their strengths for a big part of the season, so for us to step up, block some shots and help our goalie get that big kill was important. It played a big role in the outcome of the game.
Have you been in a position like that before where you’ve seen the PK continue on because you didn’t have anybody in the box?
Rielly: I’m not sure why we didn’t have anybody in the box, quite frankly. That may have to be addressed at a later time. Regardless, it was a big kill for us. We were happy that we were able to do it.
Have you seen the resiliency in this group against good teams like this? Columbus comes back in the second period, and you guys keep pushing.
Rielly: Big one for us. We were able to answer. We got away from our game a little bit there and they got two quick ones, but I think we were able to get back to what was making us play offense earlier in in the game. I think that was important for us.
Nazem Kadri
Another big victory for you guys. What has you been working for you this last stretch?
Kadri: Just staying with it. Trusting the process. We had a tough stretch there for a little bit and fell a little behind, but we believed in the dressing room. This is just the start for us.
It seemed bend but not break describes you guys until you get a chance to score the first goal, and then away you went.
Kadri: Yeah, that’s huge. Coming into a hostile building, it’s a great team we were facing in Columbus. They do a lot of good things well. We had to play a structured game. Obviously, we had one on the power play. We took advantage of our chances and got the win.
How big was that kill there, the five-minute kill that actually went on for even longer?
Kadri: Huge. I think that took a lot of momentum away from them. They started the second and third periods off pretty well. That PK came up pretty huge for us, and essentially just killed an extra power play for them that we didn’t necessarily have to give up. Kudos for us.
What does that feel like on the bench when that is going down?
Kadri: It sucks. It’s frustrating because you just want to throw someone out there. That was our mistake. We have to live with it. Gladly, it didn’t cost it.
That said, there were enough icings that there was enough opportunity to get fresh legs out there.
Kadri: On that play particularly, they did a good job of knowing the circumstances of the game. Every time we tried to ice the puck and get a whistle, their goalie would just come out and the icing would be waived off. So that was a heads-up play by them, but luckily we were able to get a whistle and get some fresh legs out there.
Any significance for you getting that number 30? Getting that nice round number?
Kadri: Yeah, it feels good for sure. I definitely don’t want to stop there. I want to continue to grow as a player. A lot of hard work has gone into that 30 goals. The teammates have been with me ever since — I feel like they’ve not only made me a better teammate but a better person as well.
Did you have a number in mind for the number of goals you wanted this season coming in?
Kadri: No, I just want to have career years every single year. Obviously, that’s hard to do and that’s not going to happen every single year, but like I said, I’ve put in a lot of hard work. It feels good.
So many things have to go right for a team to make the playoffs. Have you seen those things go right in the last three games against teams ahead of you?
Kadri: Absolutely. We’ve gotten some help. That’s part of having the luck to make the playoffs. Essentially, we control our own destiny. We feel comfortable with where we’re at, even if other teams do get wins. A little help will never hurt.
Brian Boyle
On the game:
Boyle: They pushed back like good teams do. I think it’s a great answer by us to come back with another push of our own. We didn’t expect them to kind of lay down for us. I think we answered pretty well after that.
You would know that so many things have to go your way to make the playoffs. Do you think you guys have done that the past three games, especially?
Boyle: We’ve just got to win games, really. We’ve just got to try to win games and play well. I think we’ve done a good job of that for the most part of each game. You’re going to have mistakes in a hockey game. I think the way we’ve responded has been huge. Tonight, prime example. Things are going to happen. Bounces are going to go against you. I think, tonight, we did a great job of staying together and staying positive and working for a result.
And you get the goaltending when you needed it.
Boyle: Well, yeah, it should go without saying. It’s not very fair to Freddie but, I mean, he’s got to play well and he has. He’s played great, and we’re going to go as far as he’s going to take us, pretty much.
The sandpaper quality of your line to establish tempo in the opening period… how important do you think it was?
Boyle: I think that’s playing to our strengths. That’s what is going to give us success as a line if you’re asking me about our unit. That’s what is going to give us the most success, I think. When we’re doing it and doing it consistently, it’s going to be beneficial for our club and for our line. We want to produce, we want to contribute, and we want to get chances. We want to get some momentum on our side, and we want to be hard to play against.
Auston Matthews
One of the bigger, heavier hockey clubs in the NHL. This team seems to be welcoming that kind of grind right now. How did you see it from your perspective?
Matthews: Yeah, like you said, they’re a big, fast, physical team. I thought we played fast as well tonight. We got the puck in behind them and just got to work. Definitely a big two points for us.
How important has this team’s resilience been, especially getting two points like this?
Matthews: it’s been huge. Being able to close out a game like this, we’ve had a number of games like it as of late. Being able to close them out is spectacular for us. We just want to keep that going. This is a really good hockey club.
What was going through your mind on that extended penalty kill there in the third period?
Matthews: We were just losing our minds on the bench trying to get a whistle and just trying to stop play to get our guy back out there. We kind of gave them an eight-minute power play, but our PK was huge. We gave them nothing. They came up pretty big there.
Willy’s shot – fun to watch, wasn’t it?
Matthews: This guy is blessed out there. He’s taking three-minute shifts and they ice the puck and then he buries one. I mean, he’s been playing unreal for us. He’s been skating, and when he’s skating and moving he is a tough guy to stop. You definitely want that to keep going.
Yourself tonight, you’re one shy goal of Wendel Clark right now. Does that mean anything to you?
Matthews: Absolutely. It’s a pretty big honour to be in the same sentence as Wendel. He’s obviously a Leafs legend. He’s a guy you see around the rink a lot. There is a lot of respect for him in the Leafs organization.
Nylander is a pretty common partner for you. How has that chemistry come along for you since the start of the season?
Matthews: It’s been great. I think anytime we play together we definitely are able to find each other. Hyman is obviously the worker. He helps create space for us, and we just try to utilize our skill.
You had two whacks at your goal. Did you think it was in the first time?
Matthews: I didn’t know what happened. I kind of got jammed and shot it back into him. He made a good save and it popped back out. I was just able to jam it home.
Seven of eight points now since that lost in Florida. What’s changed here to get things going back on track?
Matthews: I’d say our team bonding. It’s probably the biggest thing. I think we are just able to close out these games. We’re coming together. We’re able to play a full 60 or 65 minutes. All of these games are so important for us moving forward, so we definitely want to just continue to move on here.
William Nylander
The shot… I don’t know if he saw it, but what did you see when you got the pass from Tyler?
Nylander: I just saw there was a guy who was sort of backchecking on me, and I was tired, so I just wanted to get it to the net. It went in, so I was happy. Good pass by Tyler, by the way. Very good pass.
The ability to shoot like that – where did it find its beginnings for you? We see it in practice all the time, but it had to start somewhere.
Nylander: I don’t know. I was maybe just standing and shooting outside during the summer with my brother. I mean, my dad got us a net and pucks just to shoot with.
Just three 20-goal campaigns you trail your dad by now. What does it mean to get to 20 goals as a National Hockey Leaguer?
Nylander: It’s pretty fun. I mean, it doesn’t really affect anything. You just want to keep going. The win is what is important. You want to build off of this and keep it going here.
Points in nine straight. What does that mean to you?
Nylander: I’ve been lucky sometimes. Got an empty-net goal against Boston. I don’t really think about that. I just want to play well and we want to win the game. That’s what is most important.
How important has the resilience of this team been, especially against good teams like this?
Nylander: Yeah, today was a big win for us. We needed to battle playing against a great team. It shows that we can compete against them, which is important, and we needed the points, too.
What were you thinking during the elongated penalty kill?
Nylander: I’d never seen anything like that. That was something new. I mean, they might have had like seven minutes on the power play there? That was a pretty cool experience, actually, to be a part of.
