Toronto backup refuses to dwell on loss as Maple Leafs recover from 5-1 rout
When the Toronto Maple Leafs are done practising for the day, it’s not uncommon that goaltender Garret Sparks to be among the last to leave the MasterCard Centre.
“It’s something I did last year that made me successful so I stuck with it,” Sparks said after the Leafs lost 5-1 to the Bruins in Boston on Saturday. “I enjoy being at the rink. I have nothing else better going on in my life.”
For Sparks, the goal is to adjust properly to life as a backup in the National Hockey League after starring in the American Hockey League with the Toronto Marlies.
It’s a work in progress for Sparks, who did not have a good performance in Boston, allowing five goals on 34 shots.
The game was Sparks’ first since Oct. 15, but in all likelihood, he will not have to wait as long for his next start. It’s probable Sparks plays Friday against the Ducks in Anaheim, the second of a back-to-back set for the Leafs after playing in San Jose against the Sharks Thursday.
“I think that the time between starts, you can use it one of two ways,” Sparks said. “You can use it to sharpen your game or you can use it to just sit there and wait for the next start. I think I have been doing a lot of good work in practice and I don’t know if it translated (against Boston), but overall I didn’t feel like I was bad in there at all.
“I’ve been very happy with what I’ve been doing and not that happy with the result. Going to get right back after it and kick it up a few more notches.”
Sparks had an interesting perspective on the loss. “You play in challenging buildings in every league. You play in Estero, Fla., in the ECHL (against the Florida Everblades) and it’s not a cakewalk, you play in Utica in the AHL (against the Comets), it’s not a cakewalk. I have let in five goals in a lot of those buildings. You think your career is over for a second and you just get back to work.”
The Leafs travelled to Los Angeles from Boston on Sunday and when they return to practice on Monday at the Kings’ practice facility in El Segundo, Calif., will start to prepare for a task that has proven to be a tough nut to crack.
Not only are the Leafs 2-6-1 in three trips through California with Mike Babcock running the Toronto bench, the club wasn’t exactly racking up victories before Babcock took over in 2015.
San Jose has been a dark spot on the Leafs’ calendar, as Toronto has won just eight times in 23 visits. The most recent Leafs win in San Jose, which plays host to Toronto on Thursday, came on Jan. 11, 2011. Since, the Leafs are 0-5 and have been outscored 22-6.
In Los Angeles, the Leafs have lost their past four games, including in a shootout in 2016-17.
What should be encouraging for the Leafs is they’re quicker than the slower, older Kings and handled Los Angeles well in a 4-1 win in Toronto on Oct. 15. There’s no reason for the Leafs to not kick off the swing with a win at the Staples Center on Tuesday.
That leaves former Leafs coach Randy Carlyle and the Ducks on Friday.
The Leafs — who have won four of their past six games in the shadow of Disneyland — should be favoured to win. The Ducks are among the worst possession teams in the NHL but have managed to gain 17 points in 18 games (7-8-3) thanks in large part to the play of goalie John Gibson, who has a .928 save percentage.
With a long flight ahead of them on Sunday, the Leafs were figuring on leaving the loss to the Bruins in Boston.
“Dwelling on it and feeling down on yourself, I don’t think, is always the best approach,” centre John Tavares said. “Just enjoy a travel day and get some good time with the guys and prepare for a tough test on Tuesday.”
There had been no official recall of a Marlie as of early Sunday evening, but the Leafs, with the minimum of 12 forwards, were planning on summoning a forward for the California portion of the trip.
A good bet could be Trevor Moore, who was recalled on Nov. 2 before being returned to the Marlies a few days later. It would be a good story if Moore, a native of Thousand Oaks, Calif., made his NHL debut in his home state.