Morgan Rielly of the Toronto Maple Leafs has been suspended five games for a hit on Ridley Greig.

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly has been suspended five games for a cross-check with Ottawa Senators forward Ridley Greig in the closing seconds of Saturday's loss.

The NHL Department of Player Safety announced the suspension Tuesday after a virtual meeting with Rielly. The Maple Leafs blueliner was offered and accepted an in-person audition, but was unable to make it to New York due to inclement weather.

It marks the first suspension of his career for Rielly, who made his NHL debut with the Maple Leafs in 2013.

The 29-year-old Senators lost 5-3 to check against the Senators. He skated into Greig's uncontested shot into an empty Leafs net to seal the win, sparking a rival fight.

“I thought it was appropriate,” Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said of the issue after the game, later adding, “Our players have a right to respond.”

On Monday, Rielly received more support from his colleagues as they prepared for his suspension.

“If you go back to when I came into the league, he's probably still on the ice,” veteran Ryan Reaves said of Greig on Monday. “I thought (Rielly's response) was appropriate. I don't understand how a little boy can think it's okay to do something like that.''

“I expected a fine. A one-game maximum,” Reeves added. “The lad (Greig) got up after he saw there was nobody on top of him and I think that has to be taken into account as well.”

Auston Matthews said he supports Rielly.

“I think it deserved the reaction,” Matthews said Monday. “Morgan is not a malicious player and a dirty person by any means.

“For him (Riely) to approach him (Greig) was something that was bound to happen, somebody was willing to do that, especially after a game like that. grid”.

Two days after his postgame comments, Keefe speculated that the logo on the front of the jersey may have been the reason Rielly received a private audition offer.

“I think there's a history of things that happened in Toronto and with the Leafs that get a lot of attention and a lot of hype that leads to something like this,” Keefe said. “To that end, I'm not surprised.”

Rielly is in his 11th NHL season and leads Maple Leaf defensemen with seven goals and 43 points in 50 games. The Vancouver native leads the Maple Leafs in average ice time at 24:21. TJ Brodie is second on the team in average ice time, well behind Rielly at 21:44 per game.

The Maple Leafs host the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena, with Rielly serving his first game suspension.