{"id":933874,"date":"2026-10-15T11:26:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T11:26:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/933874\/"},"modified":"2026-10-15T11:26:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T11:26:14","slug":"maple-leafs-coach-jim-hiller-not-satisfied-with-road-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/933874\/","title":{"rendered":"Maple Leafs coach Jim Hiller not satisfied with road trip"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Maple Leafs lost 5-4 to the Utah Mammoth<\/a> on Tuesday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Wednesday is a travel day for the team with no media availability. <\/p>\n

The Leafs managed to break even on a challenging road trip, but Jim Hiller is not satisfied. <\/p>\n

\u201cNo. No. No. No,\u201d the coach said. \u201cNo, I\u2019m not.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the Leafs left Toronto for games against the defending Western Conference champion Vegas Golden Knights<\/a>, defending Presidents\u2019 Trophy winning Colorado Avalanche<\/a> and a fast-rising Utah Mammoth<\/a> team, three points seemed like it would be a good result. <\/p>\n

So, why was Hiller left with a bitter taste in his mouth as he prepared to fly home? <\/p>\n

\u201cWell, because we want to win,\u201d he explained. \u201cI mean, we could\u2019ve got five points. So, when [you] say, \u2018Are we good with three?\u2019 No, not really. If you would\u2019ve said, \u2018Are you happy with five?\u2019 We would\u2019ve said, \u2018Absolutely.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The Leafs certainly had their chances to gain more points. Toronto squandered a 3-0 lead en route to a shootout loss in Vegas to open the trip. After an impressive win in Denver, the Leafs fell into a three-goal hole in Utah before mounting a comeback and coming painfully close to nabbing at least one point against the Mammoth. <\/p>\n

\u201cCould\u2019ve made this a great trip,\u201d lamented Hiller, who held a full team skate Tuesday morning, instead of the usual optional, to try and keep his players locked in after a couple days of bonding in Park City, Utah. \u201cIn the end, you know, it\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

That sentiment was echoed inside the dressing room. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs a whole, I mean, I think it\u2019s okay,\u201d defenceman Morgan Rielly<\/a> said. \u201cI mean, you split, essentially. You get three points. You want to try to get four. I mean, we have a chance in Vegas to get an extra one. We have a chance here to get back in there for a point. So, I mean, I think it\u2019s alright, but we leave here not feeling great about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps Rielly was flashing back to last year when the Leafs also nabbed three points during this same Western swing with a similar outcome in each game. Back in January, Toronto started with a surprising overtime win in Denver before falling behind early in Utah and losing to the Mammoth in regulation. The Leafs wrapped up the trip by blowing a lead in Vegas and falling in overtime. <\/p>\n

Toronto went on to miss the playoffs and finish fifth last leading to a big roster turnover in the summer. <\/p>\n

\u201cThree really good teams,\u201d said winger Jack Roslovic, who is one of many newcomers this season. \u201cI think there were some ups and downs. I think we, overall, battled through it pretty well. It\u2019s just the little mishaps here, little mishaps [there], that kind of sting. But I think the good thing about that is it\u2019s nothing glaring.\u201d<\/p>\n

Well, there was one glaring issue on the trip. <\/p>\n

\u201cSecond period, no good,\u201d said Hiller. \u201cThat\u2019s three second periods on this trip that were no good.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Leafs got outshot 44 to 19 in the middle stanza of the last three games while allowing seven goals. It provided something for the coaching staff to ponder on the trip home on Wednesday. The answer isn\u2019t obvious. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to have to find that out,\u201d Hiller said. \u201cThe home team will push and we just haven\u2019t been able to make a play or settle it down, get clean through the neutral zone, have a forecheck shift. We\u2019ve just bobbled [the puck] and allowed them to kind of go one, two, three on us. We\u2019ve got to fix that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hiller doesn\u2019t have much time to sort things out. The Leafs will be looking for their first divisional win of the season (0-2-0) on Thursday when they host the Buffalo Sabres<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Toronto will play four of its next five games at home with four games in this stretch coming against opponents that missed the playoffs last season. <\/p>\n

Hiller not satisfied with Leafs .500 record on challenging trip: ‘We want to win’ The Leafs managed to pick up three points during a challenging trip through Vegas, Colorado and Utah, but Jim Hiller wasn’t satisfied. “We want to win,” the coach said. “Could\u2019ve made this a great trip. In the end, you know, it\u2019s okay.”\n <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

All five of Utah\u2019s goals on Tuesday had one thing in common. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe should clean up the puck play,\u201d Rielly said. \u201cIf you look at their goals, they\u2019re off the rush, so there\u2019s something going on there that we have to fix. We do a good job at the end to get back in it, but ultimately, you know, it\u2019s a tough position to be in.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tone was set in the first period when Mammoth winger Daniil But<\/a> danced past Rielly in the neutral zone before beating Anthony Stolarz<\/a> high to open the scoring. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe made a good play,\u201d said Rielly, who finished minus-two while logging a season low 16:09. \u201cObviously, that\u2019s on me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Leafs were playing their first game of the season without shutdown defenceman Chris Tanev<\/a>, who is on injured reserve and will miss at least two more games with an undisclosed upper-body issue. <\/p>\n

\u201cDifferent parts of the game, it looked like pairs worked, and then there were parts of the game where it looked like pairs didn\u2019t work,\u201d Hiller said. \u201cBut that wasn\u2019t just the D. Again, that\u2019s everybody. Unless all five guys are on, it makes it difficult for anybody, whether it\u2019s a forward line or a D pairing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe puck management, you know, kind of shot ourselves in the foot a bit,\u201d Roslovic said.<\/p>\n

Hiller opted to dress seven defencemen in Utah, as he did in Colorado on Saturday, with Marshall Rifai<\/a> making his season debut and playing just his fourth career NHL game. <\/p>\n

\u201cI thought Marshall played pretty well,\u201d Hiller said. \u201cHe didn\u2019t play a lot (9:04), but he looked comfortable out there. He didn\u2019t look nervous. If you look at the minutes, I think there\u2019s a couple of guys who were maybe in single digits. Most everybody else \u2014 I think I had Willy [Nylander] and Auston [Matthews] at 20 \u2014 was about where they should be.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Tanev out, Troy Stecher<\/a> is the only Leafs defenceman dressing who is a plus player this season. <\/p>\n

‘Obviously, that’s on me’: Rielly, Leafs struggle with rush against speedy Mammoth Daniil But danced around Morgan Rielly to score Utah’s first goal on Tuesday. “He made a good play,” the Leafs defenceman said. “Obviously, that’s on me.” It wasn’t just Rielly struggling, though, as all five Mammoth goals came off the rush.\n <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Stolarz allowed five goals on 28 shots to suffer his first loss of the season. <\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, I put us in a tough situation,\u201d the goalie acknowledged. \u201cProbably want two or three of those goals back. And, you know, not the way you want to go and end the road trip, but l thought our third period was really good and just the resilience that this group has shown. I know I got better and will be better in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stolarz was playing his third game of the season and first since allowing four goals in an overtime win over the Nashville Predators<\/a> on Oct. 6. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re a fast team,\u201d Stolarz said of the Mammoth. \u201cThey have a lot of offensive, skill players who can make plays and they got a couple guys that can shoot the puck. And your job as a goalie is just to kind of make a timely save and that was something that I really didn\u2019t do until the third period. Just kind of put us in a deep hole.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the goals Stolarz wanted back was a Dylan Guenther<\/a> shot that snuck between his arm and body. <\/p>\n

\u201cJust kind of overextended and went off my arm,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Hiller refused to blame Stolarz for the defeat. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe was alright,\u201d the coach said. \u201cHe gave us a chance at the end. In the third period, he made a couple of saves. They scored five rush goals, right? That\u2019s not just Anthony. That\u2019s different people making mistakes prior to it getting to him. There\u2019s probably a couple he wants back, but that happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stolarz did pick up an assist, his second of the season, by making a nice pass to set up a John Tavares<\/a> power-play goal. <\/p>\n

But when the dust settled on the night, Stolarz saw his save percentage dip to .875 on the season. What will he focus on moving forward? <\/p>\n

\u201cThe third period,\u201d said Stolarz, who turned aside all 12 shots he faced in the final frame. \u201cI thought I was pretty solid in the third period. And, you know, it\u2019s the life of a goaltender. You just kind of have to put it behind you and move on. I\u2019m sure [goalie coach] Curtis [Sanford] and I will look at some film, do some drills and whatnot. But, you know, it\u2019s an 84-game season, and you just have to look to respond.\u201d<\/p>\n

Toronto will play a back-to-back set early next week (Monday against San Jose and Tuesday at Columbus) so Stolarz likely won\u2019t have to wait too long for his next chance. <\/p>\n

‘I put us in a tough situation’: Stolarz wanted ‘two or three goals back’ in Leafs loss After allowing five goals on 28 shots, Anthony Stolarz took responsibility for his role in the Leafs loss in Utah. “Obviously, I put us in a tough situation,” the goalie admitted. “You know, probably want two or three of those goals back … I know I got better and will be better in the future.”\n <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Kirill Marchenko<\/a> helped lead the comeback push.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe third period, probably, was Marchenko\u2019s best period since the first game,\u201d Hiller said. \u201cThat was clear. That was really a positive sign for us. I thought he was pretty dangerous. You saw him carry the puck through the neutral zone, use his speed, his skill set. That was really maybe a positive jumping-off spot for him going back home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marchenko, who was acquired from the Blue Jackets in a blockbuster deal on the eve of the season, also picked up an assist on a goal by Roslovic in the second period. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe confidence is definitely coming for him,\u201d said Roslovic, who also played with the Russian in Columbus. \u201cYou can tell in the last couple games, you know, he\u2019s moving out there. He\u2019s flying out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite still settling in with his new team and being stuck on just one goal (on the power play), Marchenko has hit the scoresheet in six of seven games. <\/p>\n

Roslovic scores in front of fan club as Leafs top line chemistry continues to build Jack Roslovic scored on Tuesday in Utah much to the delight of a group of fans wearing his sweater in the crowd. Auston Matthews and Kirill Marchenko assisted on Roslovic’s goal as Toronto’s top line chemistry continues to build.\n <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

The Leafs penalty kill capped a perfect road trip by killing off all four Mammoth chances on Tuesday. Utah entered the game with the most power-play goals scored this season. <\/p>\n

\u201cOur penalty kill, probably the whole trip, if you have to look at that, was outstanding,\u201d Hiller said. \u201cMaybe [Tuesday] was the best night. I thought we did a great job. [Assistant coach] John [Gruden] had a great plan going in. We executed it. Willy had the shorthanded breakaway. That was really, really good.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Leafs lead the NHL in penalty kill percentage (95.8) and have allowed just one goal to an opposing power play through seven games. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re moving our feet,\u201d centre Nick Paul said on Tuesday morning. \u201cWe\u2019re talking a lot. We\u2019re on the same page. So, yeah, I mean, it\u2019s still early in the season, but we plan on just continuing to build every single game.\u201d<\/p>\n

NHL: Maple Leafs 4, Mammoth 5 MacKenzie Weegar capped a four-goal second period, Dylan Guenther and Mikhail Sergachev had a goal and an assist, and the Mammoth held off a late push from the Maple Leafs on Tuesday for their third win in four games. Auston Matthews and Gavin McKenna scored but Toronto couldn’t complete the comeback from three down. <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Lines to start Tuesday\u2019s game: <\/p>\n

F<\/p>\n

Marchenko – Matthews – Roslovic<\/p>\n

Cowan – Tavares – Nylander<\/p>\n

McKenna – Paul – Sissons<\/p>\n

Duhaime – Blueger <\/p>\n

D<\/p>\n

McCabe – Raddysh<\/p>\n

Rielly – Stecher<\/p>\n

Ekman-Larsson – Blankenburg<\/p>\n

Rifai <\/p>\n

G<\/p>\n

Stolarz starts<\/p>\n

Bobrovsky<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Maple Leafs lost 5-4 to the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":933875,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[712,49,48,82],"class_list":["post-933874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-apple-news","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/933874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=933874"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/933874\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/933875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=933874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=933874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=933874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}