Ahead of the Leafs’ meeting with the Islanders, Jim Hiller spent plenty of time on the same theme: the work is there, but the details still need tightening.
After a season-opening loss to Montreal, Hiller said the defensive structure held up reasonably well, even if the scoreboard told a harsher story. The bigger issue, in his view, was what happened before the puck ever became a real threat.
“I think defensively, we played a pretty strong game. The majority of their chances came off some breakout turnovers from us.
That’s not a defensive breakdown. That’s more of an offensive breakdown with the puck on your stick.
That’s something we have to clean up because we gave a couple freebies that way.
Offensively, we just didn’t execute. We really weren’t sharp.
I think the Matthews line, on three or four occasions, really moved the puck pretty well. A lot of times, we were putting it in skates, or it was bouncing on our stick.
We’ll have to execute better offensively to put some more pressure on the other team.”
One of the bigger storylines is Darren Raddysh, who described the night as emotional after coming home and signing a big contract. Hiller acknowledged the weight that comes with that kind of moment, especially early.
“We’re all humans, so you have a little extra pressure because of all the things you mentioned, no matter what. You can say, “Just relax and go out there and play,” but I think he’ll have to work his way through that. I think getting the first one out of the way probably will help.”
The chemistry between Raddysh and Morgan Rielly is still in the early stages, and Hiller made it clear that patience is part of the process.
“It’ll take time. There’s no question.
We’ve talked about this: There are lots of new guys. We’re trying to get this thing together as quickly as we can, but we all know it’s going to take a little bit of time.
We just want to shrink that time. I can’t put a date on that, but everybody will get better together.”
The lineup is also getting a boost for the second half of the back-to-back. Hiller said both scratches from the previous night will go in, and Stoli will start, though he wouldn’t say who comes out.
The Islanders, meanwhile, present a familiar set of problems. Hiller pointed first to Schaefer and then to Sorokin in net, noting that the goalie “poses lots of problems for most shooters.”
He also said the club has a new coach, one he knows fairly well, which means the style has shifted a bit. Hiller’s seen enough of him over the years to know the Leafs will need to be ready.
As for Gavin, Hiller said he hasn’t spoken with him much since the previous game and wants to give him room to recharge after an emotional night in a back-to-back situation.
On Kirill Marchenko, Hiller’s first impressions were simple and upbeat. He said Marchenko “just loves hockey,” and added that Auston has already picked up on that, too. Hiller described him as happy, excited, and very engaged, someone who is asking questions and staying focused on the ice rather than overthinking the spotlight.
The power play, though, was another area that needed a sharper edge. Hiller said the unit didn’t move the puck quickly enough and missed a chance to swing the game.
“If there was one area of the game where we probably had the opportunity to at least get tied or get ahead, it would have been the power play. We need to be more dangerous than we were.”
Even with the loss, Hiller said the atmosphere around the team was encouraging. He liked the energy, the bench communication, and the togetherness. Montreal, he noted, is a good offensive team, and the Leafs did a decent job limiting rush chances.
But the frustration still came back to the same issue.
“Again, just too many turnovers.”
Hiller also explained why Easton Cowan earned a bump up the lineup late, including shifts with the Tavares line and at six-on-five. He said Cowan’s camp has been strong, his summer was impressive, and the reward fit the performance.
“Somebody asked before: You do well, and you should get rewarded. We thought he had a pretty good game, and we wanted to reward him for that.”
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