"Pathetic culture in Toronto": Fans react to Morgan Rielly's hit on Ridly Greig for Sens forward's empty netter slapslot

Morgan Rielly took exception to Ridly Greig's last-second empty netter slapshot in an intense Battle Of Ontario matchup between the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs.

With less than 10 seconds to go on the clock, Sens forward Ridly Greig gathered the free puck and skated towards an unguarded Leafs net. He slapslot the puck to net the game winner and seal the victory for the Sens.

Morgan Rielly was not appreciative of Greig's selection of shot and attacked him, which eventually resulted in Greig falling onto the ice, clutching the back of his head.

Fans took to social media to share their thoughts on Morgan Rielly's hit on Ridly Greig. One fan said,

"Pathetic culture here in Toronto. Learn to drop the mitts. Eh captain?"

Some fans supported Rielly's outburst,

One official intervened quickly before multiple Senators and Leafs players stepped in, but a huge brawl was averted.

Morgan Rielly was assessed a 5-minute major and game misconduct for his hit on Ridly Greig. He is likely to have a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety and receive a game-suspension for his action.

Morgan Rielly and Leafs unable to overcome struggling Sens

Auston Matthews opened the scoring for the Leafs, 3:45 into the first period on a Mitch Marner assist. This was Matthews' 42nd goal of the season.

Sens replied with Claude Giroux's goal at the 17:53 mark in the first, tallying the veteran's 16th goal of the season.

Forward Vladimir Tarasenko netted Shane Pinto's pass for his 14th of the season, early into the second period. Matthew Knies equalized for the Leafs from yet another Mitch Marner assist.

Shane Pinto and Josh Norris netted the Senators' third and fourth goals of the game to end the second period 4-2 in favor of the home team.

Max Domi stepped up in the third period with his fifth goal of the season to bring Toronto one goal away from equalizing the game, at 4-3 on a Morgan Rielly assist.

With the Toronto net empty in the last minutes, Ridly Greig scored a slapshot, which Morgan Rielly took exception to, to make it 5-3 for the Ottawa Senators.

Ottawa Senators win the Battle of Ontario H2H against the Maple Leafs in the regular season with a 3-1 record. This will probably be the last time these two teams meet each other this season with the Sens being out of the playoff picture currently.

The Toronto Maple Leafs will take on the St. Louis Blues next on Feb. 13, after a two-day break.