Maple Leafs takeaways: Stolarz, Hildeby build back-up cases

There were a couple of things that jumped off the page in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ second pre-season game. Normally peaceful Pontus Holmberg dropped the gloves; top-six hopeful Nick Robertson was killing penalties. And Brady Tkachuk was getting in faces and mixing it up after the whistle.

Okay, that final one is pretty standard fare from the Ottawa Senators captain, even during the NHL’s warmup round. And two nights after beating the Leafs 6-5 in overtime in Toronto, Tkachuk’s Senators won a low-scoring 2-1 affair on Tuesday in Canada’s capital.

Despite the couple aforementioned exceptions, from a Toronto perspective, the game was likely more notable for what did not happen rather than what did. With not a single star to be found in the Leafs lineup, it was a night where guys hoping to push their way into the lineup had a chance to perhaps steal the spotlight.

To be fair, Robertson — when he wasn’t killing penalties — did show some jump. And the Leafs’ only goal came courtesy of Alex Steeves, a 24-year-old who netted an impressive 27 tallies in 65 AHL contests last year. Still, even that bit of offence came only after Ottawa goalie Anton Forsberg let Steeves’ shot leak through his pads.

Speaking of whoopsies, this contest turned on a misplay by 26-year-old Toronto defenceman Nicolas Mattinen with just under eight minutes to play in a 1-1 game and the Leafs on a power play. Mattinen was nonchalant with a puck in his own end, had his pocket picked by big Zack Ostapchuk and had to watch as the Sens forward went in and deked out Dennis Hildeby for the game-winner.

That play stood out for the wrong reasons. But in terms of anybody on the Blue and White fringe making a real positive case for himself, there wasn’t much to highlight.

Toronto’s best players were its two large goalies, one of whom will be counted on to play an important role this season. With that in mind, here are a couple takeaways from the Buds’ second pre-season loss to Ottawa in 48 hours.

Stolarz and Hildeby shine

Anthony Stolarz got the start for Toronto and, after inking a two-year UFA contract in the off-season, made his first appearance in a Leafs uniform. It’s easy to see the appeal of the six-foot-six tender, who — as a member of the Florida Panthers — had the highest save percentage (.925) of any goalie who played at least 25 contests last year. Stolarz — who will likely be counted on to play 35 games or so this year as Joseph Woll’s backup — looked big and controlled in the crease, flashing the leather and kicking out his pads to make a couple strong saves. In the first period, he robbed Ridly Greig with the glove on a point-blank shot from the high slot. Then, on an Ottawa power play, Stolarz kicked out the left leg to deny veteran David Perron at the side of the net. The only puck that got past Stolarz came off the stick of Jake Sanderson, who absolutely wired one under the bar on a clean look after the Sens — who dressed most of their big guns in a home game — had the Leafs running around in their own zone.

For as strong as Stolarz was, the save of the night came from the six-foot-seven Hildeby when he stretched out to his glove side during a Sens power play and made a stunning stop on Tkachuk after the former looked like he had a tap-in delivered to his tape by Tim Stutzle. The 23-year-old Swede showed some good things as an AHL rookie last year and it’s not hard to spot the potential Hildeby — who was bested only by Ostapchuk’s sudden breakaway — has in the crease.

What about Bobby?

As noted, in a game where the lone Leafs goal was a bit of a softie, it’s hard to gush all that much about anybody’s offensive showing. That said, for all the speculation about whether Robertson can be a consistent performer in the lineup, it’s easy to forget the appeal of Bobby McMann. The late-blooming 28-year-old had 15 goals in 56 contests last year (Robertson had 14 in 56) and brings an element of size and strength new coach Craig Berube has an affinity for.

McMann, who had a team-high six shots on net versus Ottawa, may have been the Leafs’ top forward and one play in the middle frame showcased his best attributes. With Toronto on the penalty kill, McMann grabbed the puck at his own blue line and chugged up ice. As forward Nick Cousins tried to impede him, McMann fought off his pursuer while driving hard to the net and snapped off a decent one-hander on Forsberg.

It may not have resulted in a goal, but in this largely lifeless pre-season contest, it qualified as a standout play by a guy still trying to establish himself as a full-time NHLer. McMann was likely one of the few Blue and White skaters in Ottawa who helped his case in that pursuit.