<p>What a difference a day makes for the Toronto Maple Leafs!</p>
<p>One night after <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/5-takeaways-toronto-maple-leafs-opening-night-montembeault-timmins-liljegren-debate-montreal-canadiens">getting ousted 1-0 by the Montreal Canadiens</a>, the Maple Leafs responded with a comprehensive 4-2 win over the New Jersey Devils that belied the performance of their depth players. Max Pacioretty scored the game&#8217;s opening goal — a good omen if you&#8217;re into numerology, while Bobby McMann, Steven Lorentz and John Tavares also got on the board for the Maple Leafs.</p>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2106" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="324"></div>
<p>All of this is perhaps academic in light of Dennis Hildeby winning his first-ever career start. Hildeby was recalled on an emergency basis and was stellar for the Maple Leafs throughout the contest, showing why his combination of size and lateral movement have made him one of the greatest risers within the organization.</p>
<p>Here are four takeaways from the Maple Leafs&#8217; 4-2 victory:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Dennis the menace 💙 <a href="https://t.co/udFwwbblAH">pic.twitter.com/udFwwbblAH</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) <a href="https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs/status/1844558227842695274?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 11, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<h2>Dennis Hildeby aces his first career start</h2>
<p>Hildeby was excellent for the Maple Leafs. It wasn&#8217;t a flawless start by any means but he made several quality saves throughout the contests and shut the door in the third period as the Maple Leafs fended off a speedy, resilient Devils team that was looking to get a win for Sheldon Keefe, against his former club.</p>
<p>The 23-year-old made a pad save against Dawson Mercer in the opening frame, then had to wait for the action to unfold as the Maple Leafs raced out to a 3-0 lead in a torrential first period. Hildeby absolutely robbed Jack Hughes later in the frame, and it&#8217;s clear that he was than ready for the spotlight, finishing the game with 23 saves.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">huge stop by Hildeby on Hughes <a href="https://t.co/ox04n1NC29">pic.twitter.com/ox04n1NC29</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Omar (@TicTacTOmar) <a href="https://twitter.com/TicTacTOmar/status/1844525904103456851?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Hildeby made a sprawling save on Erik Haula as the Leafs&#8217; penalty kill wound down, and he made both the spectacular and routine stops in equal measure, and continued to flummox the Devils throughout the contest. The stakes weren&#8217;t too high for Hildeby and while it&#8217;s too early to make a declarative stance on where he may fit into the lineup, goaltending performance is often subject to year-over-year variation, or in other words, he made the best of his opportunity and the Maple Leafs ought to consider using him against the Los Angeles Kings on October 16, provided that Anthony Stolarz starts Saturday versus the Pittsburgh Penguins.I</p>
<p>&#8220;It feels amazing, especially, like I know how much this matters to my family. It means a lot,&#8221; Hildeby said post-game to <a href="https://x.com/markhmasters/status/1844563146096144474">TSN&#8217;s Mark Masters</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">another big Hildeby save as Benoit leaves the penalty box </p>
<p>almost went five-hole <a href="https://t.co/6Ws5SFCqFj">pic.twitter.com/6Ws5SFCqFj</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Omar (@TicTacTOmar) <a href="https://twitter.com/TicTacTOmar/status/1844538153962553517?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 11, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">HILDEY HUGS 🤗 <a href="https://t.co/rFgqIb9djY">pic.twitter.com/rFgqIb9djY</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) <a href="https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs/status/1844555166747369545?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 11, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<h2>Steven Lorentz is outperforming expectations throughout first two games</h2>
<p>There&#8217;s a maxim that states that underlying numbers aren&#8217;t nearly as important for bottom-six forwards as they are for stars and secondary scorers because of the function of what they do. More simply, we ignored that the Maple Leafs controlled 99.5 percent of the expected goals when Steven Lorentz was on the ice in Wednesday&#8217;s loss and we&#8217;re not making the same mistake tonight.</p>
<p>Lorentz was downright incredible and you don&#8217;t necessarily need stats to compliment the eye test Thursday. The 28-year-old was flying all over the ice and punched home Toronto&#8217;s third goal during the first period. Through two games, with a goal and an assist — a secondary assist on Bobby McMann&#8217;s goal — Lorentz is the Maple Leafs&#8217; leading scorer.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">LASER LORENTZ 🎯 <a href="https://t.co/y0UjxWqreh">pic.twitter.com/y0UjxWqreh</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) <a href="https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs/status/1844523844213563811?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>He plays with the physicality that is required from Craig Berube and he&#8217;s a better skater than initially given credit for. I was initially skeptical of Lorentz&#8217;s role on the team, largely from his underlying numbers with the Panthers and a tendency to see pucks die on his stick during the preseason. Through two games, Steven Lorentz has been downright fantastic for the Maple Leafs — and if you&#8217;re looking to the fancy stats, a 70 percent share of the expected goals at 5-on-5 is more than fine!</p>
<h2>McMann is one of the best 12 forwards and should always be in the lineup</h2>
<p>It was somewhat surprising when Bobby McMann was rendered a healthy scratch during the season opener but he&#8217;s simply one of the Maple Leafs&#8217; best 12 forwards, and that should be enough to keep him in the lineup going forward. McMann scored during the first period, he boasts elite speed which he weaponizes in transition and there&#8217;s been a real inflection point since he scored a hat-trick on February 13 against the St. Louis Blues last season.</p>
<p>Toronto outshot New Jersey 6-1 when McMann was on the ice and he didn&#8217;t get to play on the team&#8217;s dormant power play, which has been a constant source of frustration through the opening two games. He got the most of fourth line minutes and his speed, in conjunction with Lorentz&#8217;s put the Devils on their heels all evening.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">If Bobby McMann&#39;s inclusion means anything, the goal should always to be roster the 12 best forwards, regardless of positional role, McMann can play throughout the lineup and is richly rewarded here.</p>
<p>&mdash; Arun Srinivasan (@Arunthings) <a href="https://twitter.com/Arunthings/status/1844521209830003008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>We&#8217;re two games into the season, so any real criticism can be chalked up to small sample theatre, but there&#8217;s certainly something more here with McMann. He&#8217;s a late bloomer but he&#8217;s also proven to be one of the Maple Leafs&#8217; best forwards since the calendar year began and he can play throughout the lineup. He can play anywhere from the second line to the fourth line and he could be paired with Auston Matthews if absolutely required on the top line, so it&#8217;ll be compelling to see if this performance did enough to win him a permanent spot under Berube&#8217;s supervision.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">McMann isn&#39;t stuck to a rigid definition and since his Feb. 13 hat trick, which was a real inflection point, he should always be considered among Toronto&#39;s top 12.</p>
<p>&mdash; Arun Srinivasan (@Arunthings) <a href="https://twitter.com/Arunthings/status/1844521420392382709?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<h2>Knies-Matthews-Marner were carried by the depth guys</h2>
<p>Toronto&#8217;s first line received a conditional pass as it outshot Montreal 16-6 when they were on the ice at 5-on-5 but in a winning effort, the trio of Matthew Knies-Auston Matthews-Mitch Marner were essentially carried by the team&#8217;s depth lines. This is perhaps unfair to Knies, who ran over opponents on the penalty kill, fought for pucks tenaciously and popped, at least through the eye test.</p>
<p>The same couldn&#8217;t be said of Matthews or Marner, and while their defensive impacts were probably understated, they simply need to put numbers on the boards. It&#8217;s two games into the season so there is a conscious effort to avoid declarative statements about two of the best all-around forwards in the world, but they&#8217;ve also been held without a point in each game.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s enough of a sample to prove that Knies-Matthews-Marner works during the regular season, sporting a plus-14 goal differential and a 57.8 percent share of the expected goals last season, but through the opening two games, the actual goals haven&#8217;t been there and at least on the offensive end, the game has seemed way too passive. This could age poorly when Matthews and Marner inevitably erupt, potentially as soon as Saturday during the home opener against the Penguins, but the line was outshot 7-3 on Thursday night, while both Matthews and Marner contributed to an anemic power play that often looked worse than the team did during 5-on-5 scenarios. It was a sub-par game for Toronto&#8217;s top line, masked by the end result.</p>
<h3>Sponsored by bet365</h3>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion" data-property-id="324" data-promotion-id="18983" data-context="web-content-promocard"></div>


What a difference a day makes for the Toronto Maple Leafs!

One night after <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/5-takeaways-toronto-maple-leafs-opening-night-montembeault-timmins-liljegren-debate-montreal-canadiens">getting ousted 1-0 by the Montreal Canadiens</a>, the Maple Leafs responded with a comprehensive 4-2 win over the New Jersey Devils that belied the performance of their depth players. Max Pacioretty scored the game's opening goal — a good omen if you're into numerology, while Bobby McMann, Steven Lorentz and John Tavares also got on the board for the Maple Leafs.
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2106" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="324"></div>
All of this is perhaps academic in light of Dennis Hildeby winning his first-ever career start. Hildeby was recalled on an emergency basis and was stellar for the Maple Leafs throughout the contest, showing why his combination of size and lateral movement have made him one of the greatest risers within the organization.

Here are four takeaways from the Maple Leafs' 4-2 victory:

https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs/status/1844558227842695274
<h2>Dennis Hildeby aces his first career start</h2>
Hildeby was excellent for the Maple Leafs. It wasn't a flawless start by any means but he made several quality saves throughout the contests and shut the door in the third period as the Maple Leafs fended off a speedy, resilient Devils team that was looking to get a win for Sheldon Keefe, against his former club.

The 23-year-old made a pad save against Dawson Mercer in the opening frame, then had to wait for the action to unfold as the Maple Leafs raced out to a 3-0 lead in a torrential first period. Hildeby absolutely robbed Jack Hughes later in the frame, and it's clear that he was than ready for the spotlight, finishing the game with 23 saves.

https://twitter.com/TicTacTOmar/status/1844525904103456851

Hildeby made a sprawling save on Erik Haula as the Leafs' penalty kill wound down, and he made both the spectacular and routine stops in equal measure, and continued to flummox the Devils throughout the contest. The stakes weren't too high for Hildeby and while it's too early to make a declarative stance on where he may fit into the lineup, goaltending performance is often subject to year-over-year variation, or in other words, he made the best of his opportunity and the Maple Leafs ought to consider using him against the Los Angeles Kings on October 16, provided that Anthony Stolarz starts Saturday versus the Pittsburgh Penguins.I

"It feels amazing, especially, like I know how much this matters to my family. It means a lot," Hildeby said post-game to <a href="https://x.com/markhmasters/status/1844563146096144474">TSN's Mark Masters</a>.

&nbsp;

https://twitter.com/TicTacTOmar/status/1844538153962553517

https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs/status/1844555166747369545
<h2>Steven Lorentz is outperforming expectations throughout first two games</h2>
There's a maxim that states that underlying numbers aren't nearly as important for bottom-six forwards as they are for stars and secondary scorers because of the function of what they do. More simply, we ignored that the Maple Leafs controlled 99.5 percent of the expected goals when Steven Lorentz was on the ice in Wednesday's loss and we're not making the same mistake tonight.

Lorentz was downright incredible and you don't necessarily need stats to compliment the eye test Thursday. The 28-year-old was flying all over the ice and punched home Toronto's third goal during the first period. Through two games, with a goal and an assist — a secondary assist on Bobby McMann's goal — Lorentz is the Maple Leafs' leading scorer.

https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs/status/1844523844213563811

He plays with the physicality that is required from Craig Berube and he's a better skater than initially given credit for. I was initially skeptical of Lorentz's role on the team, largely from his underlying numbers with the Panthers and a tendency to see pucks die on his stick during the preseason. Through two games, Steven Lorentz has been downright fantastic for the Maple Leafs — and if you're looking to the fancy stats, a 70 percent share of the expected goals at 5-on-5 is more than fine!
<h2>McMann is one of the best 12 forwards and should always be in the lineup</h2>
It was somewhat surprising when Bobby McMann was rendered a healthy scratch during the season opener but he's simply one of the Maple Leafs' best 12 forwards, and that should be enough to keep him in the lineup going forward. McMann scored during the first period, he boasts elite speed which he weaponizes in transition and there's been a real inflection point since he scored a hat-trick on February 13 against the St. Louis Blues last season.

Toronto outshot New Jersey 6-1 when McMann was on the ice and he didn't get to play on the team's dormant power play, which has been a constant source of frustration through the opening two games. He got the most of fourth line minutes and his speed, in conjunction with Lorentz's put the Devils on their heels all evening.

https://twitter.com/Arunthings/status/1844521209830003008

We're two games into the season, so any real criticism can be chalked up to small sample theatre, but there's certainly something more here with McMann. He's a late bloomer but he's also proven to be one of the Maple Leafs' best forwards since the calendar year began and he can play throughout the lineup. He can play anywhere from the second line to the fourth line and he could be paired with Auston Matthews if absolutely required on the top line, so it'll be compelling to see if this performance did enough to win him a permanent spot under Berube's supervision.

https://twitter.com/Arunthings/status/1844521420392382709
<h2>Knies-Matthews-Marner were carried by the depth guys</h2>
Toronto's first line received a conditional pass as it outshot Montreal 16-6 when they were on the ice at 5-on-5 but in a winning effort, the trio of Matthew Knies-Auston Matthews-Mitch Marner were essentially carried by the team's depth lines. This is perhaps unfair to Knies, who ran over opponents on the penalty kill, fought for pucks tenaciously and popped, at least through the eye test.

The same couldn't be said of Matthews or Marner, and while their defensive impacts were probably understated, they simply need to put numbers on the boards. It's two games into the season so there is a conscious effort to avoid declarative statements about two of the best all-around forwards in the world, but they've also been held without a point in each game.

There's enough of a sample to prove that Knies-Matthews-Marner works during the regular season, sporting a plus-14 goal differential and a 57.8 percent share of the expected goals last season, but through the opening two games, the actual goals haven't been there and at least on the offensive end, the game has seemed way too passive. This could age poorly when Matthews and Marner inevitably erupt, potentially as soon as Saturday during the home opener against the Penguins, but the line was outshot 7-3 on Thursday night, while both Matthews and Marner contributed to an anemic power play that often looked worse than the team did during 5-on-5 scenarios. It was a sub-par game for Toronto's top line, masked by the end result.
<h3>Sponsored by bet365</h3>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion" data-property-id="324" data-promotion-id="18983" data-context="web-content-promocard"></div>

4 takeaways from Maple Leafs-Devils: Hildeby aces 1st start, Lorentz, McMann are fixtures

Recent articles from Arun Srinivasan

Breaking News