Whether you want to call it a controversy or not, the goaltending situation in Toronto continues to be listed as day-to-day.
With the Maple Leafs playing their provincial rivals in Ottawa on Tuesday and the struggling Hurricanes in Carolina on Thursday, head coach Ron Wilson has a plan for his goalkeepers, but he's not telling anyone but Vesa Toskala and Jonas Gustavsson.
"I have a goaltending plan for both games and the goalies know too," Wilson told the media after Monday's practice.
But while Wilson wasn't ready to tip his hand, Gustavsson appeared to let the cat out of the bag later, saying, "I think Vesa is going to play tomorrow (Tuesday)."
In Toskala's last start, he played well in making 31 saves in a 3-2 loss to the Blackhawks in Chicago on Friday. Meanwhile, Gustavsson surrendered goals on the first two shots he faced and three on the first five in Saturday's home loss to the Calgary Flames.
Should Toskala get the start, he would be looking for his first win of the season. Currently, he has a record of 0-3-2 with a goals-against-average (GAA) of 4.45 and a save percentage of .853.
However, Wilson may be playing a hunch as Toskala has won six of his last eight starts against the Senators with a 2.23 GAA and two shutouts.
The Leafs have not provided much early support for the goalies, giving up the first goal in 16 of their 18 games this season. And should the Senators score early on Toskala on Tuesday, the spotlight could turn back to Gustavsson, the free agent with high expectations.
But if Toskala shines between the pipes and leads the Leafs to victory, it would undoubtedly give Wilson something to think about.
"It's strictly, if you win and you're playing well, you get back in," Wilson said last week. "It's exactly what you want. There's no controversy here or anything like that."
Wilson annointed Toskala his starting goaltender before the season began but, after starting four of the first five games, the Finn went down with a knee injury. Gustavsson, who was also sidelined in mid-October with a groin injury, returned to the lineup to backstop the Leafs to their first win of the season in Anaheim.
The Swedish rookie has gone on to start eight of the last 10 games and seemed to be Wilson's go-to guy now until Saturday's performance. He has a record of 3-4-3 with a GAA of 3.06 and a save precentage of .903.
With six games in the next 11 nights, it could be a prime opportunity for Toskala or Gustavsson to take the ball and run with it.
It's been said before that if you have two starting goalies, you don't have one. So who do you think should be the #1 goalie for the Maple Leafs? Let us know your thoughts in our Your! Call feature below.