Maple Leafs Gets Key Piece Back Vs. Bruins After Lengthy Absence

Boston Bruins fans will remember Ryan O’Reilly for leading the St. Louis Blues to a Stanley Cup over Boston in 2019.

And the veteran centerman, now is in a Toronto Maple Leafs after a midseason trade this year, will try to get the better of the Bruins again as they purse the NHL wins record with only five games remaining in the season.

O’Reilly missed the last 14 games due surgery on his finger, but will make his long-awaited return Thursday night when the Bruins host the Maple Leafs at TD Garden in an Original Six rivalry matchup

“It feels 100%,” O’Reilly told reporters, per Luke Fox of Sports Net. “Going in and going right into the fire here.”

O’Reilly has suited up in only eight games for the Maples Leafs, registering three goals and two assists for five points.

With the offensive firepower Toronto possesses, especially at the center spot with Auston Matthews and John Tavares, O’Reilly is expected to center the third line for the Maple Leafs against the Bruins. The 14-year veteran will be flanked by Alexander Kerfoot and former Bruins forward Noel Acciari, who spent the first four seasons of his NHL career with Boston.

Kerfoot lauded the impact O’Reilly makes when he’s in the lineup.

“You get the puck a lot when you play with him,” Kerfoot said, per Fox. “He brings a bit of swagger to our team, I think. He has that experience. He’s won a Cup, won a Conn Smythe. He’s been there before. He’s done it. Completes our lineup.”

O’Reilly gives the Maple Leafs just another asset the Bruins will have try to mitigate in the late-season showdown and perhaps in a seven-game playoff series down the road, as well.

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