Leafs' Dennis Hildeby surprisingly hard on himself after posting a .971 save percentage in loss to Canadiens
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton Imagn Images
Despite salvaging a point against the Montreal Canadiens, Leafs goaltender Dennis Hildeby wasn't happy with his performance on Saturday night.
Without Anthony Stolarz, whose status remains a mystery, and Joseph Woll, who is expected to be out a week, the Leafs turned to 24-year-old rookie Dennis Hildeby to attempt to extend their winning streak to four games.
Hildeby shines in losing effort
Outshot 23-10 through two periods Hildeby stood tall, and gave the Leafs every opportunity to win the game. Still, even after posting a .971 SV%, the Swedish goalie was critical of his game.
"I thought I started off shaky - couple of rebounds," said Hildeby post-game.
Ultimately, Hildeby stopped 33 of 34 shots in regulation, only being beaten by Cole Caufield on the power-play.
Lots to build on and learn from for Hildeby
Caufield beat Hildeby for a second time in the shootout on a play that Chris Cuthbert and Craig Simpson said the 6-foot-7 goaltender made himself look very small on, remaining low to the ice, giving up the top half of his net to Caufield, an elite shooter.
Asked about it post-game, Hildeby admitted he wasn't pleased with it either.
"I'm not happy about that it seems to be a learning process in that too. I feel like I could have done more there, so that sucks a little bit to end that way."
As Hildeby noted following the loss, the more he plays, the more comfortable he'll feel. Expected to start again on Monday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, he will have the opportunity to build off of a solid performance.
As Hildeby noted following the loss, the more he plays, the more comfortable he'll feel. Expected to start again on Monday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, he will have the opportunity to build off of a solid performance.
Previously on Toronto Hockey Daily
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 7 | 668 ANSWERS Leafs' Dennis Hildeby surprisingly hard on himself after posting a .971 save percentage in loss to Canadiens How would you grade Hildeby's performance on Saturday? | ||
| Excellent | 519 | 77.7 % |
| Good, but a couple of mistakes | 89 | 13.3 % |
| Poor | 7 | 1 % |
| A .971? If they won, he'd have the game belt! | 53 | 7.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
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