Morgan Rielly out tonight as Maple Leafs reshuffle blue line against the Senators

The Leafs will be without defenseman Morgan Rielly against the rival Ottawa Senators due to a lower-body injury, the team has announced.

It is not clear how Rielly, who is day-to-day, was injured, but is out against Ottawa, unclear how long the Leafs defenseman may be out for.

Head coach Craig Berube told reporters before tonight's game that Rielly "tweaked something" in Friday's game against the Carolina Hurricanes, which led to the defenceman being held out Saturday.

Rielly's absence leaves Toronto without its top left-shot puck mover on a night when The Leafs will now have to redistribute those minutes, with Philippe Myers
entering the lineup and the rest of the blue line taking on a heavier, puck-moving burden.

Rielly, 32, missed two games earlier this season with an upper-body injury. Rielly has nine goals 24 assists, & 33 points in 67 games this season for Toronto.

The Leafs, who sit last in the Atlantic Division, have a 29-28-13 record and 71 points, playing a rival Senators team sixth in the Atlantic with 79 points and a 35-24-9 record.

Because Rielly is being listed as day-to-day rather than week-to-week, the immediate focus will shift to whether this is limited to one game or becomes a short-term concern for a Leafs team already missing Matthews for the remainder of the season.

Already without Auston Matthews for the rest of the season, the Toronto Maple Leafs now navigate the loss of their #1 defenseman along with their leading center and captain.

The Toronto Maple Leafs lose their leading defenseman and power play quarterback in Morgan Rielly against Ottawa.

Rielly has dealt with struggles over his consistency this season, but has still been Toronto's top puck-moving defenseman, and a key point producer.

Beyond even-strength usage, Toronto may also feel Rielly's absence on the power play, where his puck distribution and blue-line mobility help create cleaner setups. With Auston Matthews already out, the Leafs are now missing two key pieces of
their usual offensive structure.

With Matthews also out, Toronto has two holes in terms of finding scoring chances, two of the team's key contributors, Rielly for creation and Matthews as a finisher.

Ottawa, who is 7-2-1 in their last 10 games played, has outscored opponents in that span 37-25. Toronto is 2-4-4 in their last 10, outscored 26-34.

Senators forward Drake Batherson will be key for the Leafs defense to stop. The 27-year-old has eight goals and 11 points in his last 10.

The timing is not ideal for Toronto, which faces an Ottawa club that has gone 7-2-1 in its last 10 games and scored 37 goals over that stretch.

Without Rielly, the Leafs will be under more pressure to defend cleanly and move the puck efficiently against a dominant Senators attack.

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