12/08/25 09:41:00
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12/08 21:39 CST Dennis Hildeby earns his first NHL shutout as Maple Leafs blank
Lightning 2-0
Dennis Hildeby earns his first NHL shutout as Maple Leafs blank Lightning 2-0
TORONTO (AP) --- Dennis Hildeby made 29 saves for the first shutout of his NHL
career as the Toronto Maple Leafs blanked the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 on Monday
night.
Morgan Rielly and Auston Matthews, into the empty net, scored for Toronto,
which improved to 4-0-1 over its last five games.
Jonas Johansson stopped 22 shots for Tampa Bay. The Lightning have dropped four
straight after winning seven in a row.
Hildeby, who started the season as the Maple Leafs' No. 4 goaltending option,
got another start with both Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll on injured reserve.
The Lightning had center Brayden Point and winger Nikita Kucherov back in the
lineup from injury absences, but were minus No. 1 goaltender Andrei
Vasilevskiy. Point missed seven games with an undisclosed injury, while
Kucherov sat out Saturday's 2-0 home loss to the New York Islanders.
Tampa Bay has now been shut out in consecutive games for the first time since
November 2023.
Lightning coach Jon Cooper said he hopes Vasilevskiy can return during the
team's four-game road trip, which started Monday.
John Tavares assisted on Rielly's goal to become the first Toronto player age
35 or older with at least 30 points before their 30th game of a season since
Mats Sundin in 2007-08.
Up next
Lightning: At Montreal on Tuesday night in the second of a four-game trip.
Maple Leafs: Host San Jose on Thursday night in the third of a five-game
homestand.
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AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
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