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TSN Toronto Maple Leafs Reporter

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TORONTO – Maple Leafs’ starting goaltender Frederik Andersen is out day-to-day with a neck injury suffered in Monday’s 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers. He will continue to be evaluated while backup Michael Hutchinson takes over for the crease for Toronto.

“It's tough to lose [Andersen] like that,” said Leafs’ head coach Sheldon Keefe after Tuesday’s practice. “But these things happen. They've happened before for this team. We've developed some real confidence in Hutch when he's gone in as the starting goaltender and he's done a great job. In fact, some of the best starts have come with Hutch in the net the last little while. So we just have to keep this thing moving along.”

Andersen will remain in Toronto when the team travels to New York for Wednesday’s tilt against the Rangers, and the club’s medical staff will keep a close eye on his progress.

“Just the nature of the injury, it's something that's just always kind of day-to-day and they want to just manage the symptoms and see how things go,” Keefe explained. “But at this stage they're calling it a neck injury and taking it from there.”

It’s not clear exactly which play Andersen was hurt on in the first period of Monday’s loss. He was bumped in the head by Mark Pysyk late in the frame and then bowled over by Frank Vatrano shortly after. Keefe said he never asked since “it’s not really of my concern.” The bottom line is Andersen didn’t return for the second period and won’t be available in the immediate future.

Losing Andersen for any extended period would be a crushing blow for the Leafs, who have leaned heavily on him yet again this season. Andersen has started 42 of 53 games, the second-most by any goalie in the NHL, and he’s amassed a 24-9-6 record with .910 save percentage and 2.87 goals-against average.  

For now, it’ll be Hutchinson with first crack at filling in as Toronto’s starter, while Kasimir Kaskisuo was recalled from the American Hockey League’s Marlies on Tuesday to serve as backup.

After putting a difficult start to the season behind him, Hutchinson has been consistent in his past four starts, posting a perfect 4-0-0 record with a .946 save percentage. But he’s performed poorly this past month when coming in to relieve Andersen, and Monday’s showing was no exception.

Hutchinson turned aside the only three shots he faced in the second period after taking over to start the frame, but then allowed three goals on 10 shots in the third as Toronto squandered a 3-1 lead.

Given the predicament Toronto is in now with its goaltending, Keefe is choosing to focus on the positives in Hutchinson’s game.

“I think his numbers would speak to [how] he’s been outstanding as a starting goalie and he'll get that opportunity here now,” Keefe said. “Of course, the way things finished yesterday, there's increased attention to it, but if it weren't for just that little piece last night then you're [focused] on the fact that he's 4-0 [in the last four starts]. He's got a chance to be there for us.”

That’s all Hutchinson could ask for, especially after his 0-6-1 record to the start the year got him demoted to the Marlies in mid-November. Hutchinson's been an eager observer of Andersen and how he handles the pressures of his position since coming back, and will lean on that knowledge in Andersen’s absence.

“[What happened] yesterday, that's in the past and you can't dwell on it,” Hutchinson said of Monday’s struggles. “I think that's something I learned from Freddie is just how present in the moment he is.  He comes out for practices and whether he played the night before or had the night off, he's lights out. He works hard and then his focus shifts to the game. For me, it's the same thing. Just focus on the present and the moment. I felt really good in practice today and looking forward to a trip to New York.”

As for Kaskisuo, he’s fresh off an appearance at the AHL All-Star Game last month and is taking life “hour by hour” as he navigates the recall. Kaskisuo made his NHL debut with the Leafs on Nov. 16 in Pittsburgh, turning aside 32 shots in an atrocious 6-1 shellacking by the Penguins that he still calls a “positive experience.”

With three games remaining this week for Toronto, including a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday against Anaheim and Montreal, it is possible Kaskisuo won’t be waiting long for another NHL start. With points at a premium for the Leafs after falling out of a playoff spot following Monday’s loss, the onus falls on the entire team to be at their best.

“That's been our message since we came back from the [All-Star Break], is that everybody here has got more to give and we need to do that,” said Keefe. “Regardless of who's in or out, we have more to give as a team and we want to continue to build. We just got to keep pushing along here and that's exactly what we'll do.”