ANDERSEN GIVES LEAFS STABILITY IN GOAL
SENATORS COMING TO TOWN RIDING A TWO- GAME WINNING STREAK I’M TRYING TO BE BOTH AGGRESSIVE AND PATIENT AT THE SAME TIME.
When searching for Valentine cards, the Toronto Maple Leafs might want to see if there’s a separate rack for Goaltender Appreciation.
If so, Frederik Andersen’s mail cubicle would no doubt be full. A grateful William Nylander delivered his message personally on Wednesday when his slot gaffe gave Nashville Predators’ Colton Sissons a golden chance. But Andersen brushed it aside, one of 44 saves he would make in Toronto’s 3-2 shootout win.
That puts Andersen — the busiest goalie in the NHL in minutes and shots against — sitting fifth overall with a .922 save percentage among those facing at least 1,000 shots. His .927 percentage mark at even strength is tops in the league.
“It was my bad and a huge save by Freddie,” Nylander said. “He stood on his head. There are so many games we could have lost that he’s keeping us in, games where we haven’t gotten off to a good start, games where we’ve had to battle back and games when we’ve had the lead and he’s kept it for us.’’
Andersen deflects praise like pucks, though gestures such as Nylander’s hit the right note.
“It’s nice, but I think it goes both ways,” said Andersen, who has been credited with 26 wins this season.
“As when someone makes a nice block for me.
“When you can cover up a mistake for another guy, it’s a good feeling on the team, for the camaraderie. You don’t want to see mistakes, but they happen.”
If he’s able to maintain this level of excellence, Andersen could very well be in the Vezina Trophy conversation by the end of the season. If backup Curtis McElhinney is used only in back- to- backs, Andersen figures to get another 20-plus starts before playoffs.
But he’s quick to distance himself from any award talk.
“I try to be the best and you want to be among that ( Vezina) category. (But) for me those (save) stats aren’t useful to look at too much. I look at goals against and even (video) of saves. You’re asking yourself if I could have done something different or what did I try to do in that situation?
“There are games where you see might see 15 shots and let in three, and you wouldn’t have done anything different on the three goals.”
Perhaps the best measuring stick for Andersen is reversing the team’s 15 overtime/shootout losses last season, 26 going back to the last year of the Jonathan Bernier/ James Reimer tandem. So far this season, Toronto has lost only five games in overtime and won five of six shootouts compared to losing seven of eight in 2016-17.
“I’m trying to be both aggressive and patient at the same time,” Andersen said of his mindset in overtime games. “A lot of things go into it.
“Maybe you’re thinking too much (about the ‘ book’ on a shooter). I tried that last year. You’re going to stop and be delayed in your movements and it gets you off your game. That goes for normal games when you’re in a zone. You don’t think too much. You just play.”
Andersen has been given plenty of support to find his groove, from head coach Mike Babcock publicly shrugging off his two inconsistent starts and the fine-tuning that he’s been getting from Toronto netminding instructor Steve Bernier.
“A goalie and a goalie coach is a special relationship,” Andersen said. “We’ve gotten to know each other better and better. Steve does his homework better than anyone. With the coaching staff we have here, we have high expectations of being prepared, for who we might see in the next game.
“I try to take something from every coach I’ve had and some t hings are more useful t han others. I remember the coach I had in ( Frolunda) Sweden, Michael Andreassen, who was big for me. He was the first guy to teach me the efficient and compact way of playing.”
Frederik also cited his father Ernst, who played goal in their native Denmark as a major influence. Those are likely Ernst’s pads that dwarf a small-fry Frederik in the pre-game video of Leafs when he was a kid.
Andersen is looking forward to having success in Saturday’s game against the Ottawa Senators, who haven’t lost in their last five visits to Toronto and possess their own unflappable goaltender named Anderson in the person of American-born Craig.
“They’ve won two in a row,” Babcock said of the Sens. “Our guys know of ( Ottawa’s recent dominance of the Battle of Ontario).’’
The Leafs have won the first two games of a five- game homestand and will have to guard against looking ahead to Monday and a potential playoff preview against the powerful Tampa Bay Lightning.
“That’s a talented Ottawa team with guys who can score,” said Leafs winger Connor Brown. “They’re always amped up to play us. In the Battle of Ontario, they seem to find another gear. We have to do the same.’’