The Toronto Maple Leafs‘ preseason rolled on last night against their biggest rival, the Montreal Canadiens. After falling to the Ottawa Senators with a NHL-heavier roster, they took on the Canadiens with a team that consisted of more fringe and AHL-calibre players. There were, however, some players that will be locks on their roster who were given top-six minutes that they won’t get during the regular season.
We also saw Easton Cowan draw into his third straight preseason game. He is definitely getting an extended look and has a real chance of making this team. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility that he could start the season with the club. It will ultimately depend on what head coach Craig Berube thinks. It may be best to send him to the American Hockey League (AHL) and allow him to play top-line minutes with the Toronto Marlies until at least American Thanksgiving.
Now, on to the takeaways from the game.
Maple Leafs’ New Fourth Line?
Last night, the Maple Leafs scored three goals in the first period. Scott Laughton scored twice, Steven Lorentz added another, and Cowan recorded an assist. After watching the line through the first 40 minutes, it got me thinking, could this line be a good fourth line for the Maple Leafs?
Steven Lorentz, Toronto Maple Leafs (Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
It seems to work. Laughton is a good face-off man who plays a two-way style. Lorentz brings a power-forward game, who forechecks hard and goes to the net. Lastly, Cowan has the play-driving ability that could tie the line together with his skill.
Although it was only a preseason game, the trio had good chemistry from the start. As a group, they were responsible for eight points last night. This could also be a good way to get Cowan onto the NHL roster and control his ice time to start his career. Plus, he would be playing with two NHL veterans who could help him adapt to the pros. Laughton and Lorentz already have prior chemistry from the playoffs last year, when Calle Jarnkrok was the third member of that line. Cowan looks like an upgrade, which could give the line more of a scoring punch compared to a traditional fourth unit.
Hildeby Deserves the Backup Role in Woll’s Absence
When the news broke that Joseph Woll was going to be away from the team on a leave of absence. Fans instantly started naming external candidates that could fill the void until he returns. The issue is, the Maple Leafs already have a viable option internally, and that is Dennis Hildeby. After last night’s game, there really shouldn’t be another question about who the backup role should go to. Unless he completely falls apart in his next outing, it is safe to say that he will be named as the team’s backup goalie, until Woll returns. Which as it stands now, there is no timeline, which should allow Hildeby a nice run in the role.
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Last night, he was rock solid against a Canadiens team that had a good amount of their regulars in the lineup. At times, when he was tested, he kept his composure and gave his team a chance to take over the game. The Canadiens went 2-for-2 on the power play early, but after that Hildeby shut the door, stopping seven of the next 13 shots with the man advantage. He was given the entire game to show Berube he could handle the pressure and wanted the backup role. He ended the night with two goals allowed on 13 shots for a .846 save percentage. With only three games left in the preseason, Anthony Stolarz will likely get at least two of those starts. Which means, Hildeby should start one of the two games against the Detroit Red Wings.
