Feb 15, 2017
McElhinney gets net in return to Columbus
It wasn’t long ago that goaltender Curtis McElhinney thought his season with the Columbus Blue Jackets was going pretty well – until it wasn’t. Now with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the backup goalie takes the net Wednesday night against team that released him in January.
COLUMBUS – It wasn’t long ago that goaltender Curtis McElhinney thought his season with the Columbus Blue Jackets was going pretty well – until it wasn’t.
In his fourth campaign as the team’s backup, McElhinney had compiled a 2-0-2 record in his four starts ahead of facing the New York Rangers on Jan. 7. He allowed four unanswered goals in that 5-4 loss, and Columbus put him on waivers two days later despite his strong stats (2.39 goals-against average, .924 save percentage).
Toronto put in a claim on McElhinney, 33, and the veteran immediately shored up what had been a glaring deficiency for the team. Posting a 2-0-1 record (with a .954 save percentage) in his first three starts, McElhinney’s biggest test as a Maple Leaf will come Wednesday in Columbus, where he’ll start against the team that waived him.
Two crucial points on the line aside, the Maple Leafs are extra motivated to win this one for Mac.
“He’s been playing great for us. We’ve had a couple nights where he’s kept us in it and we owe him a little bit,” said Morgan Rielly. “So here tonight, against his old team, we’re going to try and help him out.”
McElhinney signed a two-year, $1.6 million deal with Columbus last summer that runs through the end of this season. When they waived him, McElhinney’s family opted to stay behind in Ohio while he moved to Toronto. They’ll all be in attendance again Wednesday, this time cheering for the visitors.
Toronto will need McElhinney to be excellent – the Maple Leafs are 4-7-1 on the second night of a back-to-back this season, with two of those wins earned since he arrived.
“The biggest thing for us being a playoff bubble team right now is continuing to pick up points,” McElhinney said Wednesday morning. “I’m more hopeful of just playing games, regardless of who they’re against. The fact I get to come back and play in a familiar building is a great opportunity.”
Since Columbus sent McElhinney packing, they’ve been shuffling Anton Forsberg and Joonas Korpisalo between the American Hockey League to serve as Sergei Bobrovsky’s backup. With neither playing well enough to win the job full-time, Bobrovsky has been carrying the team, especially at home.
Since the Blue Jackets’ 16-game winning streak ended Jan. 5, they have only eight wins, five with Bobrovsky in net, however it will be Korpisalo who takes the net against the Leafs on Wednesday.
Whether being jettisoned by the Blue Jackets hurt McElhinney’s pride has ultimately been of less consequence than the chance he gained to continue playing in the NHL.
“Mac’s a real good pro who wants to play in the league,” Leafs’ coach Mike Babcock said. “We like him. He works hard every day. He works so hard he makes your starter work harder. I think Mac wants to do well because he’s a good pro and he wants to do well for his teammates.”
With Frederik Andersen taking the lion’s share of the starts (46) this season, McElhinney has had time to observe and get settled in a new room. While he’s noted the youthful exuberance of the Maple Leafs helps keeps him young, McElhinney isn’t spared the occasional age-related jab.
“I think he’s taken over the role of the oldest guy on the team,” 19-year-old rookie Auston Matthews deadpanned. “No, he’s a great guy, laid-back. Really nice. Really kind. He’s fit in really well with us.”