Jim Hiller never considered pulling Sergei Bobrovsky in the Maple Leafs' 5-4 loss to the Kraken last night.
Asked after the game whether a goalie change crossed his mind, the Toronto head coach kept it short. "No. Not at all."
Bobrovsky finished Wednesday night with 12 saves on 17 shots and five goals against. He played 59:16, so the crease never changed hands.
The Leafs scored enough to win most nights. Gavin McKenna had two goals, both on the power play, plus an assist, and Auston Matthews added a goal and two assists.
Maple Leafs Hotstove described Hiller's remarks as coming after a painful last-minute loss in Seattle.
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Brandon Montour scored the game-winner for Seattle and logged 27:10. Berkly Catton, Ryker Evans, Joshua Mahura and Chandler Stephenson also scored, while Philipp Grubauer stopped 18 of 22.
Can the Leafs afford Hiller's loyalty to Bobrovsky?
Toronto came into the night at 7-5-2 with 50 goals against in 14 games. Those numbers are from before this game, which only added to the total.
| TOR | |
| Record | 7-5-2 |
| Points | 16 in 14 games |
| Goals for / against | 54 / 50 (+4) |
| Home / Road | 4-3-1 / 3-2-1 |
| Last 10 | 5-3-2 |
| Streak | lost last game |
The concern around the 38-year-old goalie was already loud. We covered Sergei Bobrovsky's rough run as a Maple Leaf on Wednesday, before this one.
Here's the editorial take: backing your goalie is fine, but saying "not at all" after five goals on 17 shots leaves you no room. When the answer is that absolute, the next bad night becomes a referendum on the coach.
Is that loyalty or stubbornness? The Leafs lost 5-2 in Calgary on Monday, and now the scoreboard has said no twice in three days.
Toronto's skaters gave Hiller reasons to feel good about the group. Easton Cowan had an assist and three shots on goal, and Hiller has been vocal before, with Jim Hiller's message about Easton Cowan earlier this month.
Seattle moves on to Calgary on Friday, while the Leafs head to Vancouver on Saturday. Who gets the net there will say a lot about how firm that "no" really is.
Should the Maple Leafs hand Sergei Bobrovsky's net to a backup after this loss to the Kraken?
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