Maple Leafs Shut Down Devils, Former Head Coach Sheldon Keefe in 4-2 Win – Hockey Writers – Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs entered their second game of the 2024-25 regular season with a 1-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday (Oct. 9) that dropped their record to 0-1-0, and they were looking to bounce back. bounce back and take their first win of the new campaign. Another key game in this game was the coaches when the Maple Leafs faced their former coach Sheldon Keefe, who was released from his position as the head coach last season and ended up joining the New Jersey Devils, and they were hoping to spoil the Devils’ home. opener. In what was a strong 4-2 victory, let’s look at some of the things taken from yesterday’s game (Oct. 10).

Matthews, Marner, Nylander Baldless Point

The Maple Leafs beat the Devils 4-2 to improve their record to 1-1-0. However, one of the key takeaways from this game is that Auston Matthews, Mitchell Marner, and William Nylander were all held pointless. All three of these players are considered the best offensive players in the entire league, so getting zero points between them in two games is a concern for fans.

The Maple Leafs got most of their scoring last night from depth players, as rookies Max Pacioretty and Steven Lorentz got their first goals with their new teams, Bobby McMann got his first of the season, and John Tavares picked up another goal. While it’s early in the season and it’s good to see more players getting on the scoresheet than expected, it will raise eyebrows if they can’t break out of next season’s slump. .

Dennis Hildeby Takes First Career Win

With Joseph Woll dealing with an injury and Anthony Stolarz needing a night off after playing a game earlier, goaltender Dennis Hildeby got a chance to play in his NHL debut. While he looked nervous at first, his confidence grew as time went on. He stopped 22 of 24 shots, finishing the night with a .917 save percentage (SV%), allowing only goals from Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier.

Related: Maple Leafs Reportedly Trying to Trade Timothy Liljegren

Hildeby had an impressive 2023-24 season playing in the American Hockey League (AHL) where the Toronto Marlies posted a 2.41 goals against average (GAA) and a .913 SV%. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft in the 122nd overall after an impressive performance in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) with Färjestad BK. He’s proven he can stay at the NHL level, but he may be pushed down the depth chart once the Maple Leafs are healthy between the pipes. Fortunately, Hildeby has proven to be a suitable backup to Stlarz for now.

Is Immunity a Possible Concern?

The Maple Leafs decided to scratch Ryan Reaves and play McMann instead, leaving no real grinder on their roster. While McMann was able to score and play a solid game, they only had 11 hits, compared to the Devils’ 31. Fortunately, this did not affect the outcome of the game at all and they were able to. pulling off a big win to build momentum, but the lack of physicality may bother some fans. However, this should not affect the fans. It would be nice to see them pick it up in the next game and increase the number of hits, but this should not be a concern. As long as other areas of their game are solid and the team is winning, no one should draw attention to the low strikeout rate.

As the 2024-25 season continues, be sure to stay tuned Hockey Writers as your source for news from the NHL and the world of hockey.