Andersen bounces back
Mitch Marner dished out three assists and Frederik Andersen bounced back from a horrid showing as the Toronto Maple Leafs won their second game this season, topping the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Thursday night.
Marner set up Tyler Bozak for a pair of goals and also helped James van Riemsdyk find the scoresheet. Andersen, who gave up a careerworst seven goals on Tuesday evening, stopped 29-of-31 shots for Toronto (2-2-3).
Jonathan Marchessault had both goals for the Panthers (3-3-1). Roberto Luongo made 25 saves.
Andersen was under the microscope heading into the game after another rough start two nights earlier against the Lightning (seven goals on 24 shots). But he responded as Leafs coach Mike Babcock would’ve hoped.
Though he surrendered the game’s opening goal to Marchessault, on which he had no chance, the 27year-old came up with a number of fine stops early. He turned aside former Leaf Greg McKegg on a breakaway as well as former Lethbridge Hurricane Colton Sceviour later in the period, the Florida winger outmanoeuvring Jake Gardiner for a chance in the slot.
Andersen, who entered the night having allowed at least four goals in four of five starts, looked more composed and quiet in the net than he had against Tampa and throughout a shaky start to the season.
The Leafs took advantage of his strong early play, tying the score 1-1 with just over a minute left in the first frame on Bozak’s second goal this season. The 30-year-old’s deflection of a Nikita Zaitsev point shot jumped high in the air, Luongo just a split-second too late in stopping it as it sailed into the goal.
Marner got the play going, controlling the puck incessantly in the Florida zone and then stealing it back from defenceman Michael Matheson after the Panthers briefly gained control.
Luongo, who entered the night with a 20-8-2 career mark against Toronto, got the start instead of backup James Reimer, who was facing his former team for the first time. Reimer, who played more than 200 games with the Leafs, started two nights earlier in the Panthers’ 32 loss to Pittsburgh.
Andersen briefly stumbled after his strong start, Marchessault beating him high-glove on Florida power play early in the second period. It was the second of the game for the 25-year-old, who already has 10 points in his first seven games with the Panthers.
Andersen quickly recovered with a series of stops on another Panthers man advantage, going right to left to get for one particularly suave stop of Sceviour as Florida pressed.
Toronto tied it 2-2 about a minute later on van Riemsdyk’s fourth of the season. Again it was Marner, who kicked the puck from his left skate to stick and then to van Riemsdyk driving the net. The 27-year-old deked and then slid a backhand between Luongo’s pads.
Marner showed his craftiness once more, setting up another goal for Bozak with a no-look pass from the right face-off circle. It was his third assist of the night and first multipoint game in the NHL.
“If you’re Bozak or van Riemsdyk, you know you’re getting two or three real good looks a game out of the kid,” Babcock said on Thursday morning.