Leafs have no worries in net thanks to Frederik Andersen
TERRY KOSHAN
While Mike Babcock decides who will be his fourth-line centre and which players will comprise his third defence pair, the Maple Leafs coach feels nothing but a wave of confidence when he glances at his goaltending crease.
An upper-body injury caused Frederik Andersen to miss a chunk of training camp a year ago, and the start of his tenure as the Leafs’ No. 1 goalie didn’t go well, as his .876 save percentage in seven games in October was his worst for any month of the 2016-17 season.
Andersen recovered and provided the kind of goaltending the Leafs required to earn a playoff berth. Where there were lingering questions a year ago, there’s now only faith in the 27-year-old Denmark native.
“It’s a huge difference,” Babcock said. “He’s in way better shape this year. Last year he came in after being injured and was trying to play catchup. You come to a new environment with (media) around every day, which he was not used to, and that made a difference. Once he got traction he was pretty good.”
Andersen was sharp in the Leafs’ 3-1 pre-season win in Buffalo on Saturday night, making 17 saves on 18 shots before Kasimir Kaskisuo entered the game to start the third period.
“I definitely feel like things are progressing,” Andersen said. “I’m starting to feel really good out there. It’s nice to not have to work back from (being hurt).”
Of the Leafs’ remaining four pre-season games, it’s probable Andersen will go the distance in two of them, including the finale this Saturday night against the Detroit Red Wings at the Ricoh Coliseum.
FROM THE HASH MARKS
Babcock’s thoughts heading into the final week of the pre-season were fairly straightforward regarding player evaluation. “I have four games,” said Babcock, who gave his players a complete day off on Sunday. “I’m going to dress some real good lineups in a couple of those games as far as NHL players go and we’re going to have some NHL practices. That doesn’t mean anything will be in stone, but it will give you guys something to write about and talk about for a couple of days before we really decide what we’re doing.” … Some dust will settle on the roster once the Leafs’ game against the Montreal Canadiens at the Ricoh Coliseum on Monday night is done. More cuts could come on Tuesday, as Babcock implied on Saturday night … As much as the pre-season games are meaningless in the standings — and no sane person would argue that camp is too short — there’s plenty of value. “This is a good time to build confidence,” centre Tyler Bozak said. “You want to play well. It doesn’t mean as much as it does in the regular season, but it’s nice to get the feet going and feeling the puck and getting that confidence.” … Curious to see whether Babcock keeps the Connor CarrickCalle Rosen pair together to start this week. While Babcock has insisted nothing should be read into putting the two together (for example, thinking they will be the third defence pair), Rosen has been making Babcock’s decisions easy. Does Travis Dermott make the team, even if it means he is a healthy scratch to start? And Andreas Borgman doesn’t have much interest in starting with the Toronto Marlies. Veteran Martin Marincin has had trouble with confidence, and we can’t imagine it will be much better heading into the final week of camp.
POINT SHOTS
Kasperi Kapanen isn’t riding the coattails of his playoff performance of last spring, when he scored two goals in six playoff games against the Washington Capitals, including the Game 2 winner in double overtime. While that participation gave Kapanen some knowledge moving forward, he knows that what’s crucial is what he accomplishes in camp. The Leafs’ depth at forward means Kapanen, who had a goal and assist against Buffalo on Saturday, is in a tight spot. “I’m just trying to play hockey and not try to think about that,” Kapanen said. “We all want to play for the Leafs and everybody can’t. I’m just going to try to play my best and see if it’s good enough.” … Babcock is lauded by his players for being honest and forthright, and it’s not something the coach has eschewed in camp, even with nearly 50 players remaining. “I try to talk to these guys (on an individual basis) every single day,” Babcock said.