Rielly sets modern-era record for points by defenseman in 1st 5 games

Morgan Rielly's red-hot start to the 2018-19 season has earned him a spot in the NHL's history books.

With a goal and an assist on Thursday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs top-pairing blue-liner bumped up his point total to 12, making him the highest-scoring defenseman in the NHL's modern era (since 1943) through five contests, per Sportsnet Stats.

Here's a look at the names he passed:

#Leafs Morgan Rielly sets the NHL modern-era record (since 1943) for most points by a defenceman thru his team's first 5 games of the season pic.twitter.com/K0rgQcDQKW

- Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) October 12, 2018

Rielly now sits ahead of some legendary defenseman, and he's also tied with teammate Auston Matthews for the league lead in points.

Rielly, 24, broke out offensively last season, posting a career-high 52 points in 72 games, and he looks poised to set a new personal benchmark in his sixth NHL campaign.

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