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Toronto Maple Leafs Turn to Campbell As Andersen Blows It

By James Tanner

TORONTO, ONTARIO - JULY 28: Frederik Andersen #31 of the Toronto Maple Leafs is congratulated by teammate Zach Hyman #11 after the 4-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens during an exhibition game prior to the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on July 28, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ONTARIO - JULY 28: Frederik Andersen #31 of the Toronto Maple Leafs is congratulated by teammate Zach Hyman #11 after the 4-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens during an exhibition game prior to the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on July 28, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images) /
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The Toronto Maple Leafs have now lost six of their last seven games.

The tumble down the mountain would never have occurred if the Toronto Maple Leafs had at least received bad goaltending over the last couple of weeks.  Bad goaltending we can handle.

Instead, they have received absolutely putrid and brutal goaltending.  Goaltending so bad you have to ask if Freddie Andesen isn’t trying to subconsciously retire from hockey.

The Leafs early season goaltending was amazing, and hugely responsible for their climb to the top. From the first game of the season to March the first, the Leafs were 3rd in the NHL in 5v5 save percentage.  Today they sit sixth, after being among the worst in the league since then.

27 goalies have played 300 minutes since March 1st, and Freddie Andersen ranks 24th in save percentage in that time.  It’s not good enough, by a mile.

The team around him continues to play like one of the best in the NHL.

Toronto Maple Leafs and Freddie Andersen

For perspective on how bad Andersen is, no one who is reading this would still have their current job if they performed as badly as he has over the last three weeks.

In the six games the Leafs recently lost, they had a positive expected-goals percentage in all but one game (last Saturday vs the Jets, where the whole team played like an Andersen).  This isn’t a team in dissaray, it’s a team getting sandbagged by it’s goalie. (stats from naturalstattirck.com)

Last night, the Leafs toyed with a team that isn’t anywhere close to their level, there is no way they should have lost that game.  The Leafs were one acrobatic highlight reel save away from tying a game you can’t be sure their goalie wasn’t trying to lose on purpose.  Even with Andersen’s ECHL level performance, they still would have won if Matthews was capable of taking a wrist shot.  (Which, why play him if he’s not 100%? What is even the point?  The Leafs are guaranteed to make the playoffs, so just sit him till he’s healthy).

32 Options - Including Goalies - For the Leafs @ Trade Deadline. dark. Next

Tonight the team will turn to Campbell and if he shows up at all he’s the starter in the game after that too. The Leafs said publicly as recently as Tuesday that they aren’t pursuing a goalie.  I think that has to have changed as there is no way Andersen is trustworthy anymore.

He won’t be back next season, that is a guarantee. He will be lucky to still be on the team in a month.

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