Maple Leafs' Morgan Rielly brushes off concerns of Matthew Tkachuk receiving brotherly intel from Brady ahead of clash vs. Panthers

Morgan Rielly is not worried about Matthew Tkachuk asking his brother Brady for tips on the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs have qualified for the second round and will face the Florida Panthers. They won the first round after defeating Brady Tkachuk's Senators in six games.

Morgan Rielly spoke after Saturday’s practice and said it’s hard to say if the intel from Brady really helps the Panthers. Rielly noted both teams will watch each other’s games. Rielly believes the result will come down to effort and preparation

"I don't know. It's hard to say," Rielly said. "I'm sure there'll be some kind of advantage. We're going to watch all their games, they're going to watch all our games. It'll come down to preparation, work ethic, commitment, and competitiveness. That's the beautiful thing about this group." (3:08)

Rielly scored two goals in the first round of the playoffs. His regular season was quieter, with 41 points in 82 games. But his playoff performance has picked up already, and he looks confident and active on the ice. He will be playing a bigger two-way role for the Leafs in the series against the Panthers.

This is the second playoff meeting between these teams in three years. Florida beat Toronto 4-1 in 2023. That year, the Panthers went all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. Now, this regular season has also been unfavorable for Morgan Rielly and the Leafs. They have a 3-1 record against Toronto during the regular season.

Game 1 of the second-round playoff series is scheduled on Monday at Scotiabank Arena.

Morgan Rielly plays a big role for the Maple Leafs in playoffs

Morgan Rielly has been important for the Leafs in the playoffs. So far, he has played 63 games and scored 13 goals with 30 assists. He has been playing a solid two-way role with a plus-minus rating of +13 and has averaged 24 minutes per game.

In the 2022-23 NHL season, when the Leafs' top players were failing to score offensively, Rilely stood his ground. He scored 4 goals and eight assists in 11 games. Now this season, he has helped the Leafs in their strong 3-0 series lead against the Senators, scoring a goal each in both Game 1 and Game 2.

The Leafs have often reached the playoffs but struggled to move past the first round. Before this season, they had just one series win in almost 20 years. With Craig Berube as the new coach, the team looks more organized and ready to face the Panthers.