After getting rinsed 7-1 on Saturday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs will face a familiar foe in Freddie Andersen tonight.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are off to a rough start. Sure, they probably should have won a few of the games they lost, but they’re 2-3 with a minus-seven goal differential.
One can argue that they’ve ran into hot goaltending and those unlucky breaks will turn, but what’s the point? You don’t earn two points for a good effort or get extra points for a close loss, so let’s not bother with those arguments. The Leafs record is what it is, and let’s hope they can find a way to win tonight.
Speaking of hot goaltenders, though. Andersen is one of the best goalies in the NHL through the first few games of the season.
I guess “October Freddie” was only a Toronto issue because his stats have been awesome.
In four games, Andersen has a 4-0 record, .944 SV% and 1.75 GAA (stats: hockeydb.com). His Carolina Hurricanes have yet to lose a game and if he keeps up this play, they could be one of the favorites to win the Eastern Conference this year and contend for a Stanley Cup.
Toronto Maple Leafs Desperately Need to Beat Andersen Tonight
When the Leafs walked away from Andersen this offseason it made a ton of sense. His stats were average and he couldn’t win the “big game.” Andersen never won a playoff series during his tenure in Toronto and was also beaten out for the number-one position by Jack Campbell.
Instead of signing him long-term, the Leafs decided to bring in Petr Mrazek and hang onto Campbell for the same price that Andersen would’ve cost by himself.
After losing 7-1 on Saturday night, the fanbase has already lost their minds. If Andersen continues his lights-out performances and defeats the Leafs, it’s only going to get worse.
Toronto needs to get their act together and pepper Andersen all night. They need their big-boy’s to show up and most importantly, they need Campbell to stand on his head. Kyle Dubas showed a lot of faith in Campbell and if he can outperform Andersen tonight, it’ll continue to prove to his GM that he made the right decision in keeping him over Andersen.
If the Leafs come out flat and look lifeless, I’m losing all hope in this season. However, if they win this game, it could give them a lot of confidence as they’ll play two easy match-up’s against the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings later this week.