O’Reilly on joining Leafs: 'I’ve still got to pinch myself at times'
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After netting his fourth career hat trick and finishing with four in points in the Toronto Maple Leafs' 6-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres Tuesday night, newly-acquired centre Ryan O'Reilly said he is still getting used to life in a different shade of blue.
"Yeah, it’s been crazy, though, I think a lot of adrenaline, too,” O’Reilly said after playing his third game with the Maple Leafs since being acquired in a trade with St. Louis Blues on Friday.
“It’s just still a little surreal putting on this sweater and being here with this team. I’ve still got to pinch myself at times. But, it’s very exciting,” he added. “I still haven’t had a full practice with the team yet, which is kind of weird. So kind of nice to get a feel for that.”
O'Reilly's breakout night with the Maple Leafs came against another one of his former teams in the Sabres, who he spent three seasons with before being moved to St. Louis.
"Yeah, definitely feels a little better than other buildings, for sure," he said of returning to the Keybank Center. "Just to get on the board like that, to contribute tonight, get the first one out of the way … it's a good feeling right now. Throughout the game, obviously, it would've been nice to just shut the door and not let them get back into it. But you know, a win's a win."
O'Reilly and his new linemates - John Tavares and Mitch Marner, who were playing on the wings - combined for 13 points in Tuesday's win, with Marner's five assists leading the team.
“They were just at their best from the start,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “I thought that line, our team in general, our team game in that first period, that’s as dominant as we’ve been all season long, so it’s tremendous to see.”
With five points in three games since joining the Maple Leafs, the 32-year-old O'Reilly now has 15 goals and 24 points in 43 games.