In the words of the Miracle on Ice-winning head coach Herb Brooks, “great moments are born from great opportunity,” and that's what Dennis Hildeby has for the Toronto Maple Leafs. With both Anthony Stolarz out since early November and Joseph Woll going down with an injury last week, Hildeby is now the starting goaltender, and he is making the most of his opportunity. On Monday night, Hildeby made 29 saves to record his first career shutout and lead the Maple Leafs to a win over their division rival, the Tampa Bay Lightning.
It isn't just Hildeby's first shutout of the season; it is also the first shutout of the season for any Maple Leafs goaltender, according to Jonas Siegel, via X, formerly known as Twitter. With the way Hildeby has been playing in relief of Toronto's two goaltenders, it's worth wondering if it could continue to be his net even when one or both return.
The good news for the Leafs is that Hildeby has proven that he is worthy of more starts. Woll has an extensive injury history, and it's clear that whenever Craig Berube and the coaches before him lean on the goaltender too heavily, his body fails him. Once Woll returns, look for Hildeby to get more starts than he has in the past.
Dennis Hildeby had a .927 save percentage and a 2.51 goals-against average in eight appearances leading into this game, but his record of 1-2-2 was still a worry for Leafs' fans. With Monday night's 29-save shutout, he has now stopped 95 of his last 98 shots against in his previous three starts. He has also won two of those three games.
Despite injury concerns, the Maple Leafs' goaltending situation looks fine for the time being.
