The Ottawa Senators seem to be enjoying the reaction to the Ridly Greig–Morgan Rielly controversy a whole lot more than the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In his first game since one of the most discussed empty-net goals in history, Greig tipped in a Vladimir Tarasenko slapshot to give the Senators a 4-1 lead on the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets in the second period on Tuesday.
The Senators were quick to react on social media, saying “Boy, Ridly sure is getting a lot of experience deflecting heat from slap shots in front of the net these days.”
Greig, of course, started off a memorable sequence when he took a slapshot from in close to score an empty-net goal in the dying seconds to seal a 5-3 victory over the visiting Maple Leafs on Saturday.
Rielly took exception to the move, cross-checking the Senators forward in the head. The league responded Tuesday by issuing a five-game suspension to Rielly.
The hockey world has had wildly different takes on the incident, with some fans saying Greig was asking for trouble by slapping the puck home and others feeling Rielly was way out of line.
The Senators didn’t shy away from using the whole thing to fire up their fans on Tuesday, showing Greig’s empty-netter several times on the big screen prior to the game.