Leafs' Morgan Reilly Goes After Sabres' Tage Thompson For Vicious Hit On Auston Matthews

The Buffalo Sabres came into Friday night's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs seeking an end to their 11-game losing streak. The night simply didn't go their way, and unfortunately for the Sabres, they are now on a 12-game streak.

In the opening period, the Sabres were down 2-0 and had a goal disallowed. For added insult, they were also on the losing side of a fight.

Tage Thompson laid a thunderous hit on Leafs captain Auston Matthews at center ice, looking to spark some energy for Buffalo late in the first period.

But Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly wasn't having it. He immediately confronted the towering 6'6" Rage Thompson, dropping the gloves in defense of his teammate.

Despite being out-sized, Morgan Rielly held his own and got the better of Thompson in the scrap.

The gutsy move didn't go unnoticed, as on his way to the penalty box, Rielly was met with a heartfelt thank you from Auston Matthews, who appreciated the show of support.

What a great display of team camaraderie from Reilly! This was also the debut of Leafs goaltender Matt Murray, as he was called up from the AHL Marlies following the injury to Anthony Stolarz.

There are definitely some goals Matt Murray would probably like to have back, but he was solid overall, and he got the most important thing of all, which was the W.