<p>After losing in overtime to the Ottawa Senators during their <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/5-takeaways-preseason-maple-leafs-senators-max-pacioretty-pulling-away-competition">preseason opener</a>, the Toronto Maple Leafs resume its schedule with another instalment of the Battle of Ontario, this time with an almost entirely new roster than Sunday&#8217;s group.</p>
<p>Matthew Knies, Easton Cowan, Jacob Quillan and Nikita Grebenkin are the lone holdovers from Sunday&#8217;s <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/senators-defeat-maple-leafs-sensational-winner-preseason-opener">6-5 overtime defeat</a>. Knies is getting initial minutes on Toronto&#8217;s top line alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner and scored during Sunday&#8217;s game. He may be expected to play a larger role Tuesday but his spot on the roster is more than secure.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s a different story entirely for Cowan and Grebenkin, who both have impressed during the first week of camp. Cowan was promoted in-game to a line featuring Max Pacioretty and John Tavares, while Grebenkin&#8217;s combination of size, speed and physicality has <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/nikita-grebenkin-making-early-case-for-toronto-maple-leafs-roster">endeared him to management</a>, and he&#8217;s quickly become a fan favourite <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/toronto-maple-leafs-video-nikita-grebenkin-fights-crowd-preseason">following a rousing fight versus Ottawa&#8217;s Adam Gaudette</a>. As for Quillan, it&#8217;s another look among some regulars but his pathway to the opening night roster is cloudy at best.</p>
<p>Here are some quick pre-game notes ahead of Tuesday&#8217;s contest.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The <a href="https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MapleLeafs</a> roster for tonight’s preseason game in Ottawa. <a href="https://t.co/gUYcPQq8jt">pic.twitter.com/gUYcPQq8jt</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/LeafsPR/status/1838576709529907380?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<h3>An initial look at Anthony Stolarz</h3>
<p>Anthony Stolarz entered camp as the No. 2 goaltender and we&#8217;ll get an extended look at him for the first time since he joined the Maple Leafs. I didn&#8217;t get a good view of him during Thursday&#8217;s practice sessions and we&#8217;ll finally get to see him in some game action against the Senators.</p>
<p>Stolarz excelled in a backup role for the Florida Panthers last season, with 20.1 goals saved above expected at 5-on-5 via MoneyPuck, the third-best total among goaltenders with 25 or more starts. He posted a 16-7-2 record with a .925 save percentage and functioned as one of the NHL&#8217;s best backups, with Sergei Bobrovsky getting the vast majority of starts for the Stanley Cup champions.</p>
<p>Stolarz-Woll will be Toronto&#8217;s tandem for the next <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/maple-leafs-reportedly-sign-anthony-stolarz-to-2-year-contract">two seasons</a> and it represents a calculated bet on <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/maple-leafs-are-placing-calculated-bet-on-small-sample-excellence-in-goal">small sample excellence</a> from the Maple Leafs. Now, we put our graphs and calculators away and let the on-ice play do the talking. It&#8217;ll be compelling to see through camp and the opening weeks of the season how Stolarz reacts in front of the Maple Leafs&#8217; defence — an improved unit to be sure, but the Panthers are in a different tier — as the team once again competes with the expectation with an extended playoff run and beyond.</p>
<h3>We&#8217;re potentially on the verge of Grebenkin Mania</h3>
<p>Nikita Grebenkin entered camp as an intriguing prospect with some sleeper potential but in the span of a week, he&#8217;s become arguably the most interest player throughout the first week. Grebenkin is clearly valued by Brad Treliving and Craig Berube for his unique combination of size, speed and physicality, which he put to use during Sunday&#8217;s game.</p>
<p>&#8220;He’s a strong guy,&#8221; Berube said of Grebenkin after Thursday&#8217;s practices ended. &#8220;He’s a big guy, strong. I was impressed with him today. It was a tough practice but his pace didn’t drop off. Big, strong kid. Strong skater. Some real good stuff there, you know. I love his size.&#8221;</p>
<p><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/can-nikita-grebenkin-become-the-toronto-maple-leafs-next-hidden-gem">Daily Faceoff&#8217;s Steven Ellis</a> provided this assessment of Grebenkin&#8217;s skill set:</p>
<p><em>Grebenkin loves having the puck on his stick. He can be creative in 1-on-1 situations, doing his best to deke guys out and create a chance. He’s better as a setup guy, especially when paired with a speedy, skilled shooter. Grebenkin does an excellent job of cycling the puck. He’s able to shrug off shoves from bigger players, keep the play alive and then generate a scoring chance.</em></p>
<p>Grebenkin is just 21 years old and is by no means a perfect prospect. He was caught cheating up the ice and his skating still needs some work, particularly when moving laterally, but his upside is tantalizing, especially for a Maple Leafs team that has often struggled to develop in-house talent.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Easton Cowan, after watching Nikita Grebenkin up close against Ottawa, on Sunday:</p>
<p>&quot;He&#39;s a great player, has a ton of skill, and he can chuck em&#39; too.&quot;</p>
<p>&mdash; Nick Barden (@nickbarden) <a href="https://twitter.com/nickbarden/status/1838595268637540828?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>The physical winger will likely be paired with Easton Cowan — who did all the small things well Sunday, despite being blanked on the scoresheet during Sunday&#8217;s game — and Logan Shaw, who is coming off a 30-goal campaign with the AHL&#8217;s Toronto Marlies. Cowan and Grebenkin are in the running for one of the final opening day spots and we&#8217;ll be closely watching this line during Wednesday&#8217;s contest.</p>


After losing in overtime to the Ottawa Senators during their <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/5-takeaways-preseason-maple-leafs-senators-max-pacioretty-pulling-away-competition">preseason opener</a>, the Toronto Maple Leafs resume its schedule with another instalment of the Battle of Ontario, this time with an almost entirely new roster than Sunday's group.

Matthew Knies, Easton Cowan, Jacob Quillan and Nikita Grebenkin are the lone holdovers from Sunday's <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/senators-defeat-maple-leafs-sensational-winner-preseason-opener">6-5 overtime defeat</a>. Knies is getting initial minutes on Toronto's top line alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner and scored during Sunday's game. He may be expected to play a larger role Tuesday but his spot on the roster is more than secure.

It's a different story entirely for Cowan and Grebenkin, who both have impressed during the first week of camp. Cowan was promoted in-game to a line featuring Max Pacioretty and John Tavares, while Grebenkin's combination of size, speed and physicality has <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/nikita-grebenkin-making-early-case-for-toronto-maple-leafs-roster">endeared him to management</a>, and he's quickly become a fan favourite <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/toronto-maple-leafs-video-nikita-grebenkin-fights-crowd-preseason">following a rousing fight versus Ottawa's Adam Gaudette</a>. As for Quillan, it's another look among some regulars but his pathway to the opening night roster is cloudy at best.

Here are some quick pre-game notes ahead of Tuesday's contest.

https://twitter.com/leafspr/status/1838576709529907380?s=46
<h3>An initial look at Anthony Stolarz</h3>
Anthony Stolarz entered camp as the No. 2 goaltender and we'll get an extended look at him for the first time since he joined the Maple Leafs. I didn't get a good view of him during Thursday's practice sessions and we'll finally get to see him in some game action against the Senators.

Stolarz excelled in a backup role for the Florida Panthers last season, with 20.1 goals saved above expected at 5-on-5 via MoneyPuck, the third-best total among goaltenders with 25 or more starts. He posted a 16-7-2 record with a .925 save percentage and functioned as one of the NHL's best backups, with Sergei Bobrovsky getting the vast majority of starts for the Stanley Cup champions.

Stolarz-Woll will be Toronto's tandem for the next <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/maple-leafs-reportedly-sign-anthony-stolarz-to-2-year-contract">two seasons</a> and it represents a calculated bet on <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/maple-leafs-are-placing-calculated-bet-on-small-sample-excellence-in-goal">small sample excellence</a> from the Maple Leafs. Now, we put our graphs and calculators away and let the on-ice play do the talking. It'll be compelling to see through camp and the opening weeks of the season how Stolarz reacts in front of the Maple Leafs' defence — an improved unit to be sure, but the Panthers are in a different tier — as the team once again competes with the expectation with an extended playoff run and beyond.
<h3>We're potentially on the verge of Grebenkin Mania</h3>
Nikita Grebenkin entered camp as an intriguing prospect with some sleeper potential but in the span of a week, he's become arguably the most interest player throughout the first week. Grebenkin is clearly valued by Brad Treliving and Craig Berube for his unique combination of size, speed and physicality, which he put to use during Sunday's game.

"He’s a strong guy," Berube said of Grebenkin after Thursday's practices ended. "He’s a big guy, strong. I was impressed with him today. It was a tough practice but his pace didn’t drop off. Big, strong kid. Strong skater. Some real good stuff there, you know. I love his size."

<a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/can-nikita-grebenkin-become-the-toronto-maple-leafs-next-hidden-gem">Daily Faceoff's Steven Ellis</a> provided this assessment of Grebenkin's skill set:

<em>Grebenkin loves having the puck on his stick. He can be creative in 1-on-1 situations, doing his best to deke guys out and create a chance. He’s better as a setup guy, especially when paired with a speedy, skilled shooter. Grebenkin does an excellent job of cycling the puck. He’s able to shrug off shoves from bigger players, keep the play alive and then generate a scoring chance.</em>

Grebenkin is just 21 years old and is by no means a perfect prospect. He was caught cheating up the ice and his skating still needs some work, particularly when moving laterally, but his upside is tantalizing, especially for a Maple Leafs team that has often struggled to develop in-house talent.

https://twitter.com/nickbarden/status/1838595268637540828?s=46&amp;t=ZScKpOPIyd2CPPkszRwq8w

The physical winger will likely be paired with Easton Cowan — who did all the small things well Sunday, despite being blanked on the scoresheet during Sunday's game — and Logan Shaw, who is coming off a 30-goal campaign with the AHL's Toronto Marlies. Cowan and Grebenkin are in the running for one of the final opening day spots and we'll be closely watching this line during Wednesday's contest.

Pre-game notes: A first look at Stolarz while Cowan, Grebenkin continue to fight for roster spot

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