The Toronto Maple Leafs pulled out a thrilling 2-1 overtime win on Thursday night in Philadelphia. The Leafs won the game despite their best efforts to lose. They played a pretty dull game for about 45 minutes before running into serious trouble in the third period.
Midway through the third, the Maple Leafs found themselves down two men following back-to-back penalties. The Leafs survived the 5-on-3 penalty kill, including a review of a no-goal call on the ice.
With the game still 1-0 in favor of Philadelphia, former Flyer Scott Laughton drove the dagger home, tying the game at the 14:04 mark of the third with a shorthanded marker.
The Maple Leafs could not get the game-winner in regular so the game went into overtime. And in the extra period, the Maple Leafs played one of the sloppiest overtime periods in recent memory.
A messy turnover led to a Trevor Zegras breakaway. Fortunately, Dennis Hildeby was huge in stopping the attempt. Amid the madness and sloppy line changes, rookie Easton Cowan was unable to get off the ice. A turbo-charged John Tavares led a 2-on-1 rush with Cowan gassed. Tavares sold the shot, with Cowan firing the game-winner.
All told, the Maple Leafs won a game they shouldn’t have. While they deserve credit for killing off that 5-on-3 power play in the third period, the fact is that a team like the Colorado Avalanche or Carolina Hurricanes would have feasted on the mistakes the Maple Leafs made throughout the night.
But a win is a win. And given how the Maple Leafs’ season has gone, they’ll take it any day of the week.
Hildeby fantastic for Maple Leafs in Philly
The Maple Leafs’ best player on the night was Dennis Hildeby. The Leafs' goalie stood tall, particularly during the mess that became the third period and overtime. In particular, his save on Zegras in overtime was his best of the night.
With all the talk about Joseph Woll being lights out this season, Hildeby deserves his share of the credit. Hildeby wasn’t supposed to be a major factor for Toronto this season. But the prolonged absence of Anthony Stolarz has catapulted Hildeby to a full-time NHL role.
If and when Stolarz is ready to return, the Maple Leafs could have a controversy on their hands. With the way Hildeby has been playing, would it make sense to send him back down to the AHL?
Sure, the Marlies could use one heck of a starting goalie in Hildeby. But now, Hildeby is too good for the AHL. He’s here to stay, and the Maple Leafs could have a good problem on their hands.