Rielly regains confidence during satisfying road trip for Leafs 

The Maple Leafs lost 2-1 to the Canucks on Saturday in Vancouver. The team is now off until Feb. 18 for the 4 Nations Face-Off break. 

Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly scored his second career goal in his hometown on Saturday. 

"It feels good," said the Vancouver native, who had his parents in attendance. "It's fun but, ultimately, the result is all that really matters."

The Leafs fell 2-1 to the Canucks, but walked away from their four game Western road swing with three wins and feeling pretty good as they hit the 4 Nations Face-Off break. 

Craig Berube described himself as "very satisfied" with the team's performance during games in Edmonton, Calgary, Seattle and Vancouver. 

"We played really good hockey," the coach said.

"It's a good trip all around," agreed Rielly, who scored his sixth goal of the season and first since Jan. 5. "We just missed out on making it great."

Among the positive developments out west was the play of Rielly, who hit the scoresheet in all four games making this his longest point streak since October. Rielly seems to be back on track. 

"It's an ongoing thing," he stressed. "I mean, I've got more to go. I've got more to give."

Before the first game of the trip in Edmonton on Feb. 1, Berube met with Rielly and encouraged the 30-year-old to be more aggressive and not worry as much about making mistakes. Toronto's new coach started the season by asking everyone to minimize the risk in their game. Rielly, who is relied upon to drive play and provide offence from the back end, admitted to overthinking things as he sought the right balance. 

Teammates sense Rielly is now back on his game. 

"He's got his confidence back," observed winger Matthew Knies. "Really moving the puck well."

Rielly landed multiple shots on net in every game on the trip, finishing with 10 in the four games. He had just one in the previous five games. 

"Mo's been awesome," said defenceman Chris Tanev. "He's skating, making plays. Obviously a big goal for us to tie the game going into the third. So, yeah, he's playing confident and moving." 

Rielly's goal came with six seconds left in the second period and right after a Leafs power play had ended. 

"Just trying to throw it at the net," said Rielly, who lost his spot on the top power play unit earlier in the season. "I knew time was low. I knew Kniesy was on the backside so, just trying to throw it over there."

Rielly was plus-three on the trip, which boosted his season mark to minus-16. It's still the worst plus-minus on the team, but it's now heading in the right direction. 

"He has been really good," Berube said. "He had a chance earlier in the second, too, going in at the backdoor. He is definitely moving better and activating more. He is looking to produce more."

Rielly is up to 26 points in 55 games, which puts him on pace for 39. It would still be a big decline from the 58 points he produced in 72 games last season, but hopes are high for a strong finish. 

"I know it's probably hard on him when he's not scoring as much, but he looks great in front of me," said goalie Joseph Woll. "I love how he plays in front of me."

"The timing of this break is great," Rielly said. "We're going to come back and we're all going to ramp up. We're all going to look to improve and help the team and individually look to improve our game and just get rolling."

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The new look second line of John Tavares between William Nylander and Mitch Marner was split up down the stretch on Saturday night. 

"They all want the puck a lot," Berube noted.

There were always some red flags despite the immense talent on the line. Tavares mentioned that both Nylander and Marner are "puck dominant" players on Friday. Before Thursday's game in Seattle, Berube wondered whether the trio would be stuck on the outside too much. 

"A lot of it is a guy getting in on the forecheck, getting to the net," Berube said. "Hey, it wasn't a big sample size."

Shot attempts favoured the Canucks 10-5 in the eight minutes and 45 seconds Nylander, Tavares and Marner played together at 5-on-5, per NaturalStatTrick.com. 

Will Berube consider reuniting Marner and Nylander at some point in the future? 

"Maybe," he said with a smile. "Who knows, right? We'll see down the road what happens and where it goes. You're always kind of moving guys around and trying to find a little more offence."

Marner rejoined Auston Matthews and Knies in the third period while Nylander and Tavares played with Max Pacioretty. 

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Woll played in 20 of 27 games for the Leafs dating back to the injury sustained by Anthony Stolarz on Dec. 12. Only Colorado's Mackenzie Blackwood played in more games during this stretch. 

So, the break appears to be coming at a good time for Woll. Although maybe not. 

"I'd keep going for sure," the 26-year-old said with a grin. "I've been proud of how I've handled my body and I feel great. It's been fun and it's great to have Stollie back as well. Looking forward to this last stretch."

Stolarz returned on Thursday in Seattle, which now gives the Leafs one of the best tandems in the league. Stolarz leads the NHL with a .929 save percentage in 18 games. Woll is at .909 through 30 appearances. 

Woll's previous career high in the NHL is 25 games played, which was set last season. 

"He has handled it really well," said Berube. "He has maybe toned his practice habits down a little bit — don't overdo it, just get what you need, and stay a little more fresh. That is key for goalies a lot of the time. He is a competitive guy, and from the past, while I wasn't here, he got stretched out in practice at times with his compete. I think he has learned to manage that better and manage his body better. He has played great for us and has been a really solid guy."

After starting the season on injured reserve due to groin tightness, Woll has made a statement to teammates by handling the grind of this recent stretch. 

"He's proven that he's a top goaltender in the NHL," said Knies. "He's been incredible for us, keeping us in every game and, yeah, I think he's really proven that he belongs here and that he should be a starter."

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Woll is still relatively inexperienced in the NHL. In fact, this trip marked the first time he played games in Edmonton and Vancouver. The support the team received in the opposing buildings really stood out to the young American. 

"It's unbelievable," Woll said. "The three Canadian cities we played in, it's almost like a home game. That's a testament to our fans, and it's awesome that they get out here and support us. All I can say is when that energy is there, and when our fans are rooting like that, it changes the game for us and it brings so much momentum. So, I love it. Keep it going."

There was plenty of blue in the stands in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver.

"It was electric," said Knies, who is another young American on the Leafs. "Every building was an incredible atmosphere to play in. It's pretty fun going on for warm-ups and it's already packed, and to see the see the blue jerseys everywhere, it's special to play here for sure."

Tanev played for the Flames and Canucks, but this was his first experience on the Leafs side during this trip. 

"It seems everywhere we went, even in Seattle, we had a ton of support," the 35-year-old Toronto native said. "It's awesome to see. We can't thank them enough."

It's motivational for the Leafs, but the other Canadian teams also tap into the energy. Does Elias Pettersson relish the chance to quiet fans that support the other side in his home building? 

"Big time," the Canucks centre confirmed with a smile. "Before the game even started they were going back and forth. Just enjoying the moment and getting fired up from it."

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Knies feels like the break will do him some good. The sophomore winger is averaging 18:29 of ice time per game, which is up from 13:41 last season. He also recently missed time with a shoulder injury. 

"Just getting 100 per cent healthy," Knies said of the biggest advantage the break provides. "Getting all the bumps and bruises out, you know, kicking the feet up a little bit is definitely going to help me. Obviously, I'm still a younger player and just my second season and I know it's a long, long year, but yeah it's going to be nice to just relax take your mind off hockey for a little bit."

The Phoenix native is heading home to catch up with his parents. 

"I'm going to Arizona to see my parents and then go see the girlfriend for a little bit," he said with a smile. 

The 22-year-old isn't sure if and when he'll get back on the ice as part of the vacation.

"We'll see," he said. "I'm just going to take it day by day see how the body feels. I don't think there's any rush to get back on the ice. I just want everything to heal 100 per cent and feel comfortable when I get back out there."

Knies, who is tied for seventh with Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov with 14 goals in 5-on-5 play, is thriving in a top-line role this season. He's already scored 21 goals through 51 games played. The 6-foot-3, 227 pounder is a force to be reckoned in around the net. Knies' latest goal on Thursday in Seattle was a net-front deflection. 

"He's obviously a big boy and hard to move when he's in front of the net there," said defenceman Philippe Myers. "He's going to make a lot of money doing that."

Knies, who is a pending restricted free agent, is tied with Florida's Matthew Tkachuk for fourth with six tipped goals this season.  

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Leafs lines to start Saturday's game: 

Knies - Matthews - Domi
Nylander - Tavares - Marner
McMann - Homberg - Robertson
Pacioretty - Kampf - Lorentz

Rielly - Ekman-Larsson
McCabe - Tanev
Benoit - Myers

Woll starts 
Stolarz