Auston Matthews is back and the signs of his return were evident after his skate with teammates on Long Island. Dennis Hildeby played a key role in the Toronto Maple Leafs' 3-2 overtime victory against the Philadelphia Flyers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers/] on Sunday night, stopping 30 of 32 shots and earning a notable .938 save percentage. The win marked the 23-year-old’s third career NHL victory in his fourth game of the 2024-25 season, improving his record to 3-1-0. Hildeby’s performance was crucial as the Maple Leafs completed the first half of a home-and-home series with the Flyers while earning a gutsy win. The team’s road trip to Philadelphia on Tuesday officially launches the travel portion of their annual mentors trip, a tradition that began in February of the 2019-20 season. Players invite mentors, such as parents, siblings, or influential figures in their lives, to join them for a few days on the road. Unfortunately for Hildeby, his late call-up on December 30 left him without enough time to arrange for a guest. After the game on Sunday, Hildeby joked when asked about missing the chance to bring someone along. “I’m my own mentor,” he said, as Sportsnet’s Luke Fox confirmed [https://x.com/lukefoxjukebox/status/1876262911590662437]. The trip, as revealed by the Maple Leafs’ YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jlyqu0n_xUU], kicked off on Sunday, with several mentors already in attendance. Notable guests included Joe Thornton, Auston Matthews’ invitee [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/joe-thornton-attends-maple-leafs-game-as-auston-matthews-guest-for-clubs-upcoming-mentors-trip]; Matthew Knies’ brother; and Morgan Rielly’s older brother, who watched Rielly score the game-winning goal in overtime. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jlyqu0n_xUU[/embed] Despite missing the chance to bring a mentor along, the decision to recall Hildeby from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies on Sunday proved to be a wise one. The Leafs, navigating yet another back-to-back, received a strong performance from their former fourth-round pick (122nd overall), showcasing the upside of their timely call-up. While his season stats include a .892 save percentage and a 3.23 goals-against average at the NHL level, his performance on Sunday shows why the Maple Leafs have opted to turn to him in the number two goaltending role with a busy schedule ahead. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjExNjM5NDEwNTc4NDM0MDI0/googlenews.svg] Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwytvfCA?ceid=CA:en&oc=3] to never miss a story.
