WATCH: Morgan Rielly throws a right on David Pastrnak in heated Leafs-Bruins skirmish to end 2nd period

Leafs’ top D-man Morgan Rielly showed off his powerful right hand in tonight’s matchup versus the Boston Bruins.

Tempers flared during the dying moments of the second period, leading to a spirited skirmish in front of the Bruins’ goal. The action got wild as both teams fought for the puck in front of netminder Jeremy Swayman.

With a little over 20 seconds to go in the period, Morgan Rielly exchanged a few words with Bruins’ forward David Pastrnak as he tried to join the scrum near the Bruins'.

Rielly took exception to Pastrnak’s intentions and unloaded a powerful right hand, with Pastrnak fighting back.

Other Bruins’ players came to Pastrnak’s rescue, wrestling Morgan Rielly away from the play. The officials needed to separate the pugilists to restore order.

Check out the action here:

Thus far, the Leafs have shown their tough, physical side against the Bruins. Known enforcer Ryan Reaves has thrown his weight around. But this time, it was Morgan Rielly who showed he can dish out some heavy hits, too.

Morgan Rielly did not get a penalty on the play. Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle got to the gate for the Bruins. Joel Edmundson got called for roughing.

The Leafs will start the third period on the powerplay following the scrum. The Leafs will be looking to capitalize on the man advantage as they look to capture game five and send the series back to Toronto.

Morgan Rielly leading the way on the ice

As the game moves into the third period, Morgan Rielly leads all Leaf players with 17:59 of ice time through 40 minutes. He’s registered five shots on goal, including strong defensive play.

The Leafs will need Rielly to continue his strong play and leadership, especially with leading scorer Auston Matthews out of the lineup. The good news is that the Leafs’ defense corps has chipped in on the scoresheet, with Jake McCabe scoring his first-ever playoff goal in the first period.

Trent Frederic responded for Boston, tying the game shortly after the Leafs scored, his third of the series.

Tonight’s game five looks to go down to the wire as the Bruins look to close out the series. The Bruins are looking to shake off last year’s first-round collapse against the Florida Panthers. The Bruins coughed up a 3-1 series lead.

The Florida Panthers eliminated the Tampa Bay Lightning last night and are awaiting the winner of this series. Meanwhile, Boston will be looking to close off the series and get some much-needed rest ahead of the second round.

For the Leafs, they’ll be looking to extend the series, hoping that they can play long enough to give Matthews a chance to come back into the lineup.