Mar 27, 2017
Andersen appears to avoid serious injury
Maple Leafs’ starter will miss Tuesday’s game against the Florida Panthers with his status listed as day-to-day.
TORONTO -- Frederik Andersen will not start for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night, but the team appears to have avoided losing their starting goaltender to a long-term injury.
Andersen was pulled out of Saturday’s game by the Buffalo Sabres’ team doctors after a 14-save first period; backup Curtis McElhinney replaced him the rest of the way. Toronto lost 5-2, but the prospect of Andersen missing extended time over the season’s final eight games was more troubling.
After a team day off on Sunday, the netminder did a one-on-one session Monday with goaltending coach Steve Briere, then joined the full team practice for about 20 minutes. It was all part of the plan to see how Andersen responded to facing shots at full speed, and the goalie said afterward he was feeling good.
“I got bumped pretty early in the game [on Saturday], and didn’t feel right the rest of the period,” Andersen said. “I wanted to see what happened in intermission and [we] decided to play it safe.”
When asked directly if he had concussion symptoms, Andersen said, “No…I don’t want to get too much into [that]” and declined to say if the injury was related to the upper-body ailment he suffered in September. Andersen has been stellar during the team’s recent playoff push, posting a .934 save percentage in his last 12 games. Toronto is one point up with a game in hand on the Boston Bruins for third place in the Atlantic Division.
Head coach Mike Babcock said Andersen’s status is day-to-day and that the injury didn’t appear to be something that would sideline Andersen for long. Either way, McElhinney will get at least one unscheduled start when the Florida Panthers visit Toronto on Tuesday. Garret Sparks has been called up on an emergency basis from the Toronto Marlies to back him up.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever been in this situation in terms of being in a playoff race, playing the majority of games, [but] for me it will be business as usual,” said McElhinney. “Obviously it’s a tremendous opportunity for myself and we’ll be seeking a little redemption playing against Florida again.”
Although Andersen started the game against the Panthers two weeks ago, he gave up three goals on eight shots and was replaced by McElhinney, who allowed four more to Florida in the 7-2 loss.
That game was one of six McElhinney has appeared in since Feb. 15, going 2-4 and giving up 16 goals against. After starting Thursday against New Jersey and relieving Andersen on Saturday, this will the first time he’s played in at least three straight games since Dec. 26 to Jan. 2, 2015.
“He’s just a good pro. We like him,” Babcock said. “Goaltending is so important and brings confidence to the team. We got a win the other night against Jersey. It wasn’t his best start, but we need him to find a way to play like he’s capable of. That’s all he needs.”
Kapanen gets the call
It’s taken six months, but right winger Kasperi Kapanen is finally getting his second shot in the NHL.
One of the last cuts from training camp in October, Kapanen returned to the Toronto Marlies with a chip on his shoulder, determined to work his way back up quickly. He likely would have gotten the call in early 2017, when he tallied 33 points in 33 games, but the 20-year-old suffered a lower-body injury on Jan. 13 that cost him seven weeks of playing time.
Now healthy again and resuming a nearly point-per-game pace (he has nine points in his last 10 games, and 43 points in 43 games on the season), Kapanen has parlayed the best campaign of his career into a call-up by the Maple Leafs as they fight for their playoff lives.
With Nikita Soshnikov and Josh Leivo both out with injuries, and centre Ben Smith playing poorly on the wing in Buffalo, Kapanen will slot onto the fourth line with Matt Martin and Brian Boyle.
“You just have to stay patient and work hard and stay humble. It’s better now than never,” Kapanen said of being recalled. “I think I’ve had a pretty good year this year. I had that injury but I worked hard and I feel close to 100 per cent right now and it feels good to be here.”
Kapanen had never played on the penalty kill before this season, but the Maple Leafs’ coaching staff saw the potential in him on that unit in training camp and the Marlies staff has been working on it with him ever since. He’s also been dialed in on the defensive end, knowing Babcock prioritizes that in a forward first and foremost.
“It’s pretty good compared to last year,” Kapanen said of his two-way game. “It’s just something you have to take care of first, and then it carries over to the offensive zone where you can go and try to score and make plays. I think they really made me bear down in the defensive zone and I feel that’s made me a more complete player.”
What makes Kapanen a potential game changer for Toronto is his speed. With Andersen out, Toronto will be relying on its high-octane offence to not just produce, but possibly out-score any mistakes on the backend.
“You just [want him to] do what you do,” Babcock said. “He provides real good speed. He’ll make Boyle and Martin way quicker. There is no one on our team as quick as him, so he’ll help us on the forecheck, be real good on the penalty kill for us and just get quicker.”