Hildeby gets the start as Maple Leafs look for second straight win in Columbus
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Dennis Hildeby will start his second career NHL game on Tuesday night in Columbus.
Joseph Woll travelled with the team to the Ohio capital and skated in the morning, but still isn't quite ready to return from a groin injury, which sidelined him on the eve of the regular season.
Hildeby stopped 21 of 23 shots to earn a win in his debut on Oct. 10 in New Jersey.
"He's handled this well right from camp," said head coach Craig Berube. "He's got great composure. Seeing him work every day and how he prepares himself daily, he's a pretty dialled-in guy."
Anthony Stolarz is getting a night off after starting four straight NHL games for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
"I just try and live in the moment and just try and enjoy each and every day," Stolarz said following Monday night's victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. "It's a privilege to play in this league."
Stolarz owns a sparkling .938 save percentage in five games with the Leafs.
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Ryan Reaves will draw back into the Leafs lineup after sitting as a healthy scratch on Monday.
David Kampf will be the odd man out up front. He is averaging 11 minutes and 17 seconds of ice time this season, which is down from 13 minutes and 29 seconds last year. Notably, Kampf played on the top penalty-kill unit last season and is only the sixth-most used forward in shorthanded situations through six games this season.
Pontus Holmberg has emerged as a top penalty-kill option up front.
"He's a very smart player," Berube explained at the start of the season. "Understands the position and where he's supposed to be on the penalty kill, and has a very good stick."
Kampf is in the second year of a four-year deal with a $2.4-million cap hit, which is sixth among Leafs forwards. He joins defenceman Timothy Liljegren, who's in the first year of a two-year deal with a $3-million cap hit, in the press box.
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After failing to convert on seven shots and several Grade-A chances on Saturday against the New York Rangers, William Nylander broke through with a pair of goals on Monday night.
"Sometimes that happens," the star winger said with a shrug after the game. "Sometimes those go in. Sometimes they don't. I mean, that's just the way the game works and lucky that two went in. Hopefully more go in [Tuesday]."
Nylander is enjoying playing alongside Max Domi, who set up his first goal on Monday and is tied for the league lead with five primary assists.
"I'm ready for him to pass it all the time," Nylander said with a smile. "Great pass to me on the first goal there. It was a really nice feed. Yeah, he's made some really nice plays here playing with him, so hopefully we keep it up."
The Leafs have outscored their opponents 5-0 margin at 5-on-5 with Domi, Nylander and Bobby McMann on the ice.
"Our line's cooking right now," said Domi. "We got to keep going."
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Auston Matthews has scored in three straight games and seems like a good bet to keep that streak going on Tuesday. The Leafs centre has feasted on the Blue Jackets over the years. In fact, Matthews has scored in nine straight games against Columbus dating back to October 2019.
Matthews' linemate and fellow Arizona native Matthew Knies is also feeling good at the moment. He scored a nice breakaway goal in Monday's win. It was the second goal of his sophomore season.
"He's gotten a lot stronger, in my opinion," said Berube. "I wasn't here last year but this guy's strong, and he's skating really well, and he's attacking. He's playing like a power forward and that's got to be his game, and that's what he's doing right now."
Knies added 10 pounds of muscle in the summer. The 6-foot-3 winger is now the team's heaviest skater at 227 pounds.
Knies is averaging 17 minutes and 12 seconds of ice time through six games, which is up from 13 minutes and 41 seconds last season.
"It gives me confidence playing in those situations, playing more minutes," the 22-year-old said. "But I got to keep earning those and playing well when I do get those opportunities. I'm just going to try my best to support those two guys I'm playing with."
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McMann described Chris Tanev as a "biscuit eater" while passing him the team's player-of-the-game belt on Monday night. The defenceman blocked seven shots against the Lightning and now leads the league with 22 blocks on the season.
"It's huge," Berube said. "When you see a guy like Tanev, and there's other D blocking shots, it rubs off on everybody, and our forwards are in shot lanes and blocking shots. Overall, we've been pretty good in that area."
The Leafs are ninth in blocked shots per 60 minutes this season (17.5), which is up from 13th (16.2) last year.
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Oliver Ekman-Larsson was fined $5,000 by NHL Player Safety for a hit on Lightning winger Jake Guentzel during Monday's game. The Leafs defenceman was penalized for interference on the play.
Ekman-Larsson is third on the team with three minor penalties so far and is tied for third on the team with 12 hits.
"He's been hard to play against and that's what we need," Knies said. "I want to keep seeing it."
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Projected Leafs lineup for Tuesday's game:
F
Knies - Matthews - Marner
McMann - Domi - Nylander
Pacioretty - Tavares - Robertson (L)
Lorentz - Holmberg - Reaves
D
Rielly - Tanev
Ekman-Larsson - McCabe (L)
Benoit - Timmins
G
Hildeby starts
Stolarz