Maple Leafs’ Goaltending Looks Surprisingly Solid in Preseason

If there’s one encouraging takeaway from the first two preseason games, it’s that the Toronto Maple Leafs have leaned entirely on their depth in net—third, fourth, and even fifth-string options—and the results have been far better than expected. For a team that’s had its share of crease drama over the years, this is worth noting.

Hildeby Was As Solid As He Could Be

Dennis Hildeby stood tall against Ottawa, literally and figuratively, stopping all 23 shots he faced over two periods. At 6-foot-7, he covers a lot of net, but it was more than just size. He looked calm, square to the puck, and moved well post-to-post, using his long legs and arms to take away high-danger chances. If fans were worried about whether the organization had anything brewing behind Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz, Hildeby is showing he might be the real deal.

Artur Akhtyamov also deserves credit. He got tossed into a tough spot—cold, for the third period—while Ottawa ramped up the pressure. He faced 18 shots in that frame, didn’t get much help from the skaters in front of him, and still managed to prevent the Senators from blowing the game wide open.

Akhtyamov also made a key save to keep Toronto from surrendering a second shorthanded goal on the same power play, and he fought through to get the game to overtime. The goals he did allow weren’t exactly soft—one was a backdoor tap-in, the other a clean breakaway.