Toronto Maple Leafs play it safe with starting goalie announcement against the Lightning
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Toronto Maple Leafs goaltenders Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll are out with injuries right now, which has forced the Leafs into a difficult situation.
With Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll out of the Maple Leafs' lineup, Dennis Hildeby has been forced to step up and put his best foot forward, despite a lack of experience.
Thankfully, for the Leafs, Hildeby is rising to the occasion right now and has shown that he can steal games when the lights are the brightest.
While the Maple Leafs lost on Saturday, Hildeby was the best player on the ice as he turned aside 33 out of 34 shots and kept the Leafs in the game until the shootout.
With Artur Akhtyamov as his backup, there has been some apprehension about tonight's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are among the class of the Atlantic Division.
Dennis Hildeby starts against the Tampa Bay Lightning
Today, at morning skate, the Maple Leafs made it abundantly clear that Hildeby is going to be their guy tonight, and it is hard to argue against this decision.
Putting in Akhtyamov against the Lightning would essentially be throwing him to the wolves, which probably isn't a good idea for a goalie with no NHL starts.
Hildeby currently has a goals-against average of 2.51 and a save percentage of .927 in eight appearances, although he currently only has one win.
Of course, this is absolutely not his fault. The Leafs have just mostly been abysmal every single time he suits up for a game.
With that in mind, the Maple Leafs are going to need Hildeby to put in an epic performance tonight, as the Lightning are not to be messed with.
If the Leafs want to get a win during the bright lights of Amazon Prime's Monday Night Hockey, then Hildeby will have to match what he did a couple of nights ago.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 8 | 507 ANSWERS Toronto Maple Leafs play it safe with starting goalie announcement against the Lightning Do you believe Dennis Hildeby can get a win against the Tampa Bay Lightning? | ||
| YES | 463 | 91.3 % |
| NO | 44 | 8.7 % |
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