‘They Brought Their Best And We Brought Our Worst’: Maple Leafs Stumble Against Blue Jackets, And More Takeaways From Toronto’s Third Loss Of Season
The Leafs dropped to 4-3-0 on Tuesday, losing 6-2 to the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.
In the second half of a back-to-back, which saw the Toronto Maple Leafs travel to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday, the club came out flat-footed and never recovered. The Blue Jackets controlled the play from start to finish, jumping out to a commanding 5-0 lead midway through the second period, winning the game 6-2. Here are three takeaways from the loss.
Dennis Hildeby Hung Out to Dry in Second Start
Playing on the road for the second night of a back-to-back, and with Joseph Woll still not ready to go, it was announced pregame that Dennis Hildeby would be making his second career NHL start on Tuesday. After posting a 21-save win against the New Jersey Devils last week, the 23-year-old wasn’t given any favors from a Leafs team that easily played the worst 60 minutes of the season.
Still, Hildeby didn't exactly hold up his end of the bargain, either. The netminder allowed three goals on 10 shots, leaving the Leafs trailing 3-0 at the end of the first period. From a player standpoint, the Leafs did not help out their promising goaltender, littering turnovers all over the ice – resulting in poor goals against for a team that has been extremely defensively sound through the previous six games.
The Leafs as a whole will need to turn the page, and fast. But for Hildeby, who’s still fresh on the scene, these games are all a part of the learning experience.
“It would be fine. I mean, he's young. You know, it goes like that sometimes,” head coach Craig Berube explained post-game. “That's part of learning to be a pro and dealing with things, ups and downs like that.”
Hildeby, who clearly holds himself to a high standard, recognized that these games will happen along the way, echoing Berube’s thoughts, but it isn’t an excuse – it wasn’t good enough. Stopping 32 of 38 shots, Hildeby coughed up many second-chance opportunities and big rebounds to the Blue Jackets, resulting in pucks finding their way to the back of the net.
“These games happen, unfortunately. It's happened before. So, yeah. It's just a new day tomorrow, see what I can, like, the positive things I can take from this game, as well as things I need to work on because obviously today wasn't good enough.”
It’s safe to say the Leafs feel poorly about the effort they produced in front of their young netminder, with Mitch Marner saying, “Yeah it sucks. I mean we didn't help him out much. So it's a crappy feeling for sure and we feel bad about it. But yeah we weren't good in front of him tonight. And that's certain.”
“Just not good from the start. Not competitive enough throughout the game. They brought their best and we brought our worst,” Marner added.
Max Pacioretty Leaves Game With a Lower-Body Injury
After being scratched against the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings, Max Pacioretty was reinserted back into the lineup on Monday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. With Ryan Reaves drawing back in for the Maple Leafs on Tuesday, and David Kampf being taken out, Pacioretty stayed in the lineup.
However, his fifth-season appearance was cut short after he didn’t return to the ice after the second period – where he left Tuesday’s game with a lower-body injury. Berube said post-game that the club will know more tomorrow.
“I'm not sure how bad it will be. We'll find out tomorrow.”
Pacioretty is coming off two major injuries, tearing his right Achilles tendon twice over the previous two years. Through five games, the forward has two goals as his lone points for the club. In 9:58 of total ice time on Tuesday, Pacioretty had two penalty minutes (hooking) and two hits, including a heavy-hitter that sent David Jiricek through the glass in the second period.
Matthew Knies Finds Back of the Net in Second Straight Game, Nick Robertson Scores His First of the Season
Amidst the negativity drawn from the performance in Columbus on Tuesday, Matthew Knies continued his strong start to the 2024-25 campaign, scoring in his second straight contest. Tallying his third goal of the season, the marker, which came in the dying minutes of the second period, was yet another example of a goal that fits his label as a ‘power forward’.
Picking up a loose puck below the goal line, Knies spun around and fired a shot that was too high-speed and covered through traffic that Daniil Tarasov had no chance to react accordingly.
After Monday’s game against the Lightning, which saw Knies score an impressive goal on a slick wrister (granted on a breakaway), Berube emphasized that the 22-year-old continues to elevate.
“He’s got some NHL experience under his belt, for sure, and then I think this summer he put in a lot of work and trained. He’s gotten a lot stronger, in my opinion. 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,” said Berube.
Another bright spot came from the stick of Nick Robertson who got on the scoresheet for the first time in the 2024-25 season – picking up a John Tavares rebound in the final seven minutes of the game.
The 23-year-old has been fairly quiet after a loud preseason that saw the forward score five goals in four exhibition games. Signing back with the Leafs for the 2024-25 season, there has been a glaring opportunity for Roberston to take the next step. Could this be what gets him going? That remains to be seen, but seeing one go in is a step in the right direction.
In Columbus, the club never found any rhythm, playing with little to no energy – recording six shots on goal in the opening frame. Overall, the expectation is that the Leafs will respond accordingly to a sloppy performance on Tuesday.
“We've got to move on from it. But at the same time, we've got to learn,” said Berube. “The frustration that you have right now, we've got to channel that property and get ready for the next game.
Two days from now, the Leafs will host the St. Louis Blues – Berube’s former team. A six-shot first period will not be a sufficient enough start against the Blues, who hold the same record as the Leafs heading into Thursday’s matchup.
“I think we'll come out and be ready to go. That's what I think,” Berube emphasized. “(It was a) bad game all around. So we've got to move on from it. There are probably a couple of things we could take out of that game, you know, and learn a little bit from it from a system standpoint. But, it boils down to they outskated us, they outworked us, and they were a harder team than we were. Bottom line.”
“Well, a good one for sure,” captain Auston Matthews said post-game, referencing what to expect on Thursday. “Obviously, we got St. Louis coming in. Chief used to coach there. We just got our butts handed to us a little bit (tonight).”
Returning home to Scotiabank Arena on Thursday, the Leafs have a day of rest before their preparation for St. Louis ramps up. Against the Blues, puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. as the club will be in search of a bounce-back effort on home turf.
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