Hildeby outstanding, Nylander’s critical error outweighs strong game

And while this game could very well be dissected into two different contests, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube wasn’t pleased with his team’s performance.

“Third period, we didn’t come out and dictate how to play the game. Turned the pucks over. Passive. We didn’t finish the game with momentum,” Berube said.

Dakota Joshua opened the scoring, deflecting Jake McCabe’s point shot. William Nylander did an excellent job of establishing the offensive zone, as his tenacity and playmaking certainly paid off. Auston Matthews scored on the power play, taking a lateral feed from Nylander, firing the puck into the net. It appeared to be a vintage Maple Leafs’ victory in the making, but once again, the team stopped playing with the habits, structure and detail Berube demands during the game’s closing minutes.

Dmitry Orlov sniped a shot past Hildeby to cut the lead to 2-1, entering the third period. A backbreaking goal from Sharks forward Barclay Goodrow was nullified after a challenge for offsides. And yet, the Maple Leafs didn’t take advantage of their good fortune, as John Klingberg tied the game after some defensive nonchalance from Toronto’s best players.

Hildeby couldn’t do it all, and Alexander Wennberg pounced on a rebound in overtime. Matthews and Nylander were caught too far up the ice during the overtime session, and a young upstart Sharks team stole two points from a more experienced Leafs side that will be fighting all year to ascend through the Atlantic.

Here are four takeaways from the Maple Leafs’ victory over the Sharks:

Macklin Celebrini won his individual matchup against Auston Matthews

Celebrini recorded three shots during the first period, getting his first look on his opening shift. He drifted into space well as a deep-lying playmaker and was unlucky to set up a game-tying goal on the first shift of the second period, floating a weighted pass to Collin Graf, before Hildeby went into his bag to keep the puck out. San Jose outshot Toronto 9-4 when Celebrini was on the ice against Matthews in 10:40 at 5-on-5 via Natural Stat Trick. And this may not fully account for the danger the 20-year-old poses at all times.

Both Celebrini and Matthews finished with six shots each, but Celebrini generated chances from more dangerous areas of the ice. And the enduring image from Thursday’s contest very well may be Matthews barely in the frame on Alexander Wennberg’s opening goal. It wasn’t by a large margin, but in a battle between two of the NHL’s preeminent talents, advantage, Celebrini.

Dennis Hildeby’s outstanding performance goes to waste

It’s becoming a common refrain: Dennis Hildeby was terrific in goal for the Maple Leafs, but the overall results may vary. Hildeby was forced to make several high-danger saves throughout the contest, and was the primary reason why the team gained a point Thursday.

Hildeby was a constant force for the Maple Leafs, and stopped a penalty shot from Sharks forward Ty Dellandrea, after the referees determined that Morgan Rielly impeded his path on a breakaway. During the second period, Hildeby was forced into a series of saves against Sharks veteran Tyler Toffoli. And it wasn’t even his best play of the game.

Hildeby robbed Sharks forward Philipp Kurashev to end the second period, stretching out to stop a one-timer destined for the net. It drew a loud ovation from the Scotiabank Arena crowd, and when he made a no-look, behind-the-back save in the third, he almost brought the house down.

Considering that Hildeby is the team’s nominal third-stringer and is playing like a star, the Maple Leafs ought to be sorely disappointed that they couldn’t get two points. Hildeby saved 1.08 goals above expected via MoneyPuck, and could potentially be in line for his fourth consecutive start Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers.

Nylander made a major impact against bottom-six competition, critical error outweighs strong game

Nylander was buzzing around the ice, hunting for his offence and appeared intent on clowning some inferior competition. Joshua-Roy-Nylander outshot the Sharks 8-4 at 5-on-5, with an 85 percent share of the expected goals at 5-on-5.

“It was the best game I’ve seen him play in a while. He was engaged. When I saw him skating and handling the puck, and keeping the puck, doing the things he was doing tonight with the puck, I knew he was ready to go,” Berube said of Nylander post-game.

Nylander also set up Auston Matthews’ goal with a terrific pass on the power play, displaying the type of puck movement that has been often lacking for the duration of the year. And yet, it was overshadowed by a critical blunder.

Looking to close out the victory, Nylander’s line was on the ice with 90 seconds to go, and no one bothered to close out Macklin Celebrini. Nicolas Roy pointed at Nylander to close out on the shooter, but John Klingberg was afforded plenty of time to wind up for the game-tying goal. Toronto was 85 seconds away from victory, and it could be strongly argued that a critical blunder from Nylander cost the team a win.

Henry Thrun impresses his teammates in Leafs’ debut

“I thought he was good. He was playing on his off side, too, and it was his first game. I thought he handled himself well tonight,” Berube said post-game.

“He’s got great poise with the puck,” Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews said of Thrun post-game. “He can play either side. He’s got good skill. Yeah, he didn’t look out of place at all. I thought he made good plays and definitely a guy that can move the puck back there.”

Thrun played just over 16 minutes and said it took him a shift to adjust back to NHL speed. Toronto generally treaded water during Thrun’s time on the ice, and he may have a larger opportunity with the team due to injury. Oliver Ekman-Larsson left the game with a lower-body injury during the third period and did not return to the contest.

“I thought Thrun-der did a great job today,” William Nylander said post-game. “Plays hard, plays physical. He did a great job.”

Thrun will likely be paired with Simon Benoit again for Saturday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers. It’s too early to get a larger read on his game, but low-event, pragmatic hockey is a good recipe for an injury-ridden defence corps.