Cayden Primeau gets his most important win as Leafs backup

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Craig Berube called his left-handed catcher into the bullpen twice, and it paid off.

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But Caden Primeau certainly felt a sense of urgency to keep the Maple Leafs in Saturday's game as key players suffered injuries and tried to snap a three-game losing streak.

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Not to mention the general trepidation about Toronto's goaltending, with Anthony Stolarz needing rest and Joseph Wall returning but the team unsure when he'll play. Dennis Hildeby was called up from the Marlies on Saturday after Berube raised concerns about Stolarz's workload with seven games this month.

Primeau stopped Buffalo's first nine shots, survived three of four power plays, and then blocked eight of the last nine, including one in overtime, in a 4–3 victory.

“It was nice,” Primo said without much prompting. “It wasn’t pretty, but after not playing for a while (almost two weeks after the win over Nashville), you want to see the puck, feel it, move it.”

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Berube noted Primo's hard work in practice during Stolarz's run, and the two wins so far support the organization's call for Primo to be pulled off waivers from Carolina as the best way to handle Wall's sudden departure. As camp wound down, Wall took a vacation home to the St. Louis suburbs, returning Friday and hitting the ice Saturday.

But there are still miles to go before Wall and his $3.67 million US salary cap hit are activated from long-term injury reserve. Without much of a camp and with questions about his fitness during such a long absence, he may end up needing a training assignment with Marley.

It was time for Primo to continue to strengthen his shift position, although he only wished Wall the best in his return without wanting to get ahead of himself. He spent much more time with Montreal's farm team in Laval than with the Canadiens, where he crossed paths with Wall many times on the latter's path to the Toronto Marlies.

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After few family members showed up to his first Leaf game because of his sister's birthday, the Canadian side of his family nervously watched the game, including father Wayne, a former Leaf player among many teams, and uncle Keith, a 1,000-game NHL player.

“With them here and in this jersey, I feel good,” Caden said, also noting that with Wall back, the Leafs now have three American-born goaltenders.

Primo's next move may not have to wait long. After a home game against Calgary on Tuesday, the Leafs play Wednesday in Columbus followed by Boston and Carolina in early November.

On the other hand, Saturday was another bad night for Buffalo's Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen against Toronto. When John Tavares burned him in overtime, the Finn fell to 0-5-2 for his career against the Leafs, taking just 22 shots.

It was supposed to be the start of Saber rookie Colten Ellis, with the Wycocoma native becoming the first Nova Scotia goaltender to play in the NHL in more than a decade after his debut win. But on Saturday morning he woke up too sick.

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