Last Night in Canadian Hockey – Dec. 9: Maple Leafs, Flames & Canucks
Some nights, you look across the Canadian teams and see a pattern. Last night wasn’t one of those nights. Three Canadian clubs played, and somehow all three delivered completely different versions of themselves. One put up a steady win, one chaotic goal-fest, and one long, frustrating battle against a red-hot goalie.
If you want the quick read, it’s all below. If you’re looking for the deeper dive, each game has a full review linked under its summary.
Toronto Maple Leafs 2, Tampa Bay Lightning 0
This wasn’t a wild Maple Leafs victory. It was calm, steady, grown-up hockey — the kind that slowly squeezes the life out of a dangerous opponent. Toronto kept Tampa to the outside, managed the puck smartly, and leaned into Craig Berube’s structure. The whole night built toward Dennis Hildeby, who delivered his first NHL shutout in his 15th start. His family was watching from Sweden, and you could almost feel the pride through the screen.
The Lightning had their moment early — the loose puck behind Hildeby that nearly ended the shutout before it began. But Troy Stecher fought off Brayden Point in the crease and preserved the night. After that, the Maple Leafs took control. Morgan Rielly’s first-period goal came off a scramble, the kind of persistence play that fits who he is. Matthews iced it late with an empty-netter, and that was that: a tidy, controlled win.
Maple Leafs 2, Lightning 0: Hildeby Steals the Night
Calgary Flames 7, Buffalo Sabres 4
This game didn’t have much structure, but it definitely had entertainment value. Calgary jumped out early, wobbled a few times, and answered almost every Buffalo push within minutes. You don’t always win pretty during a long homestand; sometimes you need the building loud and the puck going in, and that’s exactly what the Flames got. Nazem Kadri led the charge with a three-point night, playing with that familiar edge when the game tilts a little sideways.
This was also a night where the Flames’ secondary scorers mattered. Yegor Sharangovich opened the scoring, added an empty-netter, and looked dangerous throughout. Huberdeau’s redirect, Andersson’s broken-stick goal, and the late insurance markers from Backlund and Sharangovich kept the Sabres at arm’s length. Calgary gave up four — and Dustin Wolf had to fight through screens — but every time it got close, they answered. That confidence matters.
Flames 7, Sabres 4: Calgary Finds Its Finish
Detroit Red Wings 4, Vancouver Canucks 0
The Vancouver Canucks didn’t drag their feet into this one. They came out flying, outshot Detroit 10–2, and held the puck for long stretches. But none of it mattered because John Gibson turned the night into his own highlight reel. The 4–0 loss stings not because the Canucks played poorly, but because they simply couldn’t solve a goalie who seemed determined to make every save look like his first in years.
This is where the Canucks’ recent issues reappeared. They created chances — DeBrusk hit a crossbar, Quinn Hughes skated like he was pulling the whole team behind him — but they couldn’t finish. And when Detroit hit them with two goals in 37 seconds late in the second period, the air went out of the building. Vancouver’s defensive reads slipped just enough, and that was all the Red Wings needed. At 3–0, with Gibson locked in, there was no way back.
Elias Pettersson and Thatcher Demko should return soon, which might steady the whole operation. But right now, the Canucks are stuck in that frustrating space where they’re doing enough to believe — but not enough to win.