Who Stood Out in the Maple Leafs' Second Preseason Matchup With the Senators

The Toronto Maple Leafs were at home against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night in their second preseason game which featured the majority of the NHL team and gave fans a glimpse at what they can expect in 2025.

While the team was missing some notable players like Max Domi, Simon Benoit, and Joseph Woll, they weren't able to get past their division rivals losing 3-2 in OT.

Shane Pinto scored twice and Fabian Zetterlund also added a goal as Ottawa got revenge for the first preseason game.

There was a brief injury scare when Matthew Knies went to the locker room after colliding with Auston Matthews' skate but thankfully he was alright:

The team looked really good together, and there were several bright spots to be excited about so let's take a look at who stood out and who needs to get things together as the preseason progresses:

If anyone had any doubts about Auston Matthews heading into the season, he quickly tried to erase them because it wasn't long before Matthews was able to put the Leafs ahead 1-0.

Matthews took a beautiful give-and-go pass from Oliver Ekman-Larsson and deposited it past Leevi Merilainen.

It was part of a great game from the captain who created a bit of a stir earlier by leading his traditional warmup skate alone in the wake of Mitch Marner's departure.

He finished the night with a ton of shots (8) and was able to set the pace all night and looked really comfortable alongside Matthew Knies and Matias Maccelli.

Speaking of Maccelli...

What a way to debut. It wasn't long before Maccelli was on the scoresheet with a secondary assist on Matthews' opener, then was able to give a feed to Easton Cowan who managed to find Bobby McMann for a power play goal.

The underrated forward has a lot of expectations heading into the season especially if he is in a prime position up front, however he looks as confident as ever and his above average playmaking skills and creativity were on full display:

He finished the night with two points (2 Assists) and was a plus-2 with a block and two hits; so it's good to see him active defensively as well.

The rookie earned the chance to play with the big boys and didn't disappoint. He had the aforementioned assist on Bobby McMann's goal, and was aggressive all night chasing pucks, fighting in the dirtier areas of the ice, and showing that edge we're starting to all admire:

While he needs to make sure that he doesn't take too many careless penalties, the fact that he is already fearless and not afraid to get in the face of guys who are much bigger than him.

Cowan already earned the respect of his head coach, and his performance tonight will only add to his case to make the team out of camp and he should continue to get more looks the entire preseason.

A menace all night, he finished with one assist, four shots, three hits and a blocked shot as well.

What a change in Ekman-Larsson due to Simon Benoit's injury. He's now able to play on his dominant side while Ben Danford can handle things on the right side and it's already paying off. He looks comfortable dictating the offense and was key in Matthews' opening goal.

He had three hits, a block and an assist while also showing that aggressive side that we saw last season.

We would put both the Maple Leafs goaltenders in here, but it was Hildeby who was the much better and more reliable starter.

He stopped all 23 shots he faced and was a stone wall in the crease, being poised and calm even after Ottawa's blazing attack forced him to be pretty active all night:

Plus, he utilized all of his 6'7 frame to wreak havoc in his crease which caused the Sens a headache or two:

Artur Ahktyamov replaced him halfway through the third and gave up three goals on 15 shots including a shorthanded one; a rough look for the rookie goalie who looked out of position the entire time:

He did manage to impress fans however with a pretty slick split-legged save that earned him some brownie points:

But it was a late goal by Pinto then the winner only 16 seconds into OT that sealed the deal; and potentially Akhtyamov's fate:

It's becoming much clearer who the third-stringer is for Toronto this season as Hildeby no doubt stole the show in the crease.

While nothing is set in stone, we definitely saw the inklings of some pretty interesting combinations. Maccelli and Matthews certainly looked comfortable together and the potential creativity and offensive flair they could bring might give Craig Berube some pause about using Max Domi.

We also got to see how vital it is for Oliver Ekman-Larsson to play on his strong side, as he was night and day compared to last season offensively. He looked, again, comfortable.

One thing we should note is that Hildeby needs to be looked at as the third-stringer because though Ahktyamov is exciting, he's still a bit green and needs some more time.

That seems to be the theme for the Maple Leafs this season, as it's about finding the right balance and stressing patience.

With a brand new locker room atmosphere, it's clear that new mentality is paying huge dividends.

The lineups are sure to change over the next four preseason games, but for now there's a lot to be excited about even if they came away with the loss.

Toronto's next preseason game is an away contest that takes place in Quebec City against the Montreal Canadiens. The game is scheduled for a 7pm ET start time.