After a 7-2 rout of the Edmonton Oilers, Jim Hiller spent most of his postgame session pointing to the same theme: the Leafs are winning because more than just the stars are driving the show.
Hiller praised the group’s work without the puck, saying the effort showed up in the details. Toronto got timely stops, blocked shots, and enough resistance to keep Edmonton from building much of a rhythm.
“We had some really good saves. We had some really good shot blocks.
They had their looks. There’s no question.
But I thought we had a pretty good team effort without the puck.”
He went a step further when asked if this was the Leafs’ best all-around game of the season.
“I would think so. I thought the Rangers game would have been it prior to this one, but I think we built off that Rangers game, so I would say so, yeah.”
Anthony Stolarz was a major part of that. He turned aside 30 of 32 shots, and Hiller made clear those stops mattered most when the game got dangerous.
“I like that he made the saves. I thought we did a pretty good job for the most part, but they had some real high-leverage shots and opportunities, and he was able to make those saves.
That was really important for us. When we did break down, he was there.”
The coach also credited Jack Roslovic’s smooth fit on the top line, pointing to his connection with Auston Matthews as a major reason the pairing has clicked so quickly.
“In large part, the relationship he has with Auston. I think that’s a really important part of it.”
Hiller then expanded on Roslovic’s recent play, including what he saw a few nights earlier in Columbus.
“A few nights ago in Columbus, I said that was the best game I’ve ever seen him play. I’ve watched him play in the league many nights, and he’s been good. On some nights, I didn’t notice him as much.
He’s really turned into an everyday player every night. It’s just great to see. But I would say the relationship has most to do with that.”
Troy Stecher drew similar praise after stepping up since Chris Tanev’s injury. Hiller said the room clearly fed off Stecher’s offense, especially because scoring isn’t what people usually expect from him.
“You guys know him well here. He gives you everything he has. The great part is that when you see him score two big goals like that, the guys just love it because he’s not known for that.
He gives you everything he’s had. He never takes a day for granted, so it’s great to see him score big goals on top of everything else he does.”
Easton Cowan’s work alongside Matthews also caught Hiller’s attention. He said he never tried to put a limit on what that role could look like, but he likes what he’s seeing now.
“I don’t know. It’s hard to say.
You never really want to put a ceiling on something, so you’re not saying, “Oh, hope it goes pretty good.” You’re hoping it goes well, and I think we’re seeing what well looks like.
He’s a talented player. We knew that.
He’s been pretty consistent. He’s making plays, and for the most part, he’s cleaned up a lot of the turnovers and the plays that we don’t like - for the most part; he had one tonight.”
Hiller also highlighted the penalty kill, which he said has been feeding off desperation and commitment in recent games.
“I just think it’s been (like that) the whole way. They’re just really desperate.
We know we’re spending some time in our zone, the team is moving, and they’re making good plays, and it’s just a lot of desperation. I see shot blocks and guys diving for pucks.
There’s a lot going on right there right now.
Against this (Edmonton) power play, which I know well, they challenge you more than anybody. I just love the desperation. It’s a team game, and they’re taking a lot of pride in that.”
And when the conversation turned to the broader picture, Hiller circled back to depth - not as a buzzword, but as the clearest explanation for why Toronto’s offense has looked so balanced lately.
“Yeah, let me take it back one, because Duhaime scored his first goal, Blueger scored his first goal against the Rangers. Now, we had [Lettieri] scoring his first goal, and [MacEwen] scored his first goal. That’s two games where you have four guys scoring their first goal as Leafs.
That to me says something about your team. That says you’ve got depth.
That says it’s not just Matthews. It’s not just Nylander.
It’s not just Tavares. It’s going through the lineup, and that gives you a chance to win every night.
As much as I’m happy for those guys, I’m happy for our team that they can feel that there are other guys there to support, and it’s a pretty good feeling right now.”
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