One of the biggest questions prior to this play-in series was which Frederik Andersen Maple Leafs’ fans would see. Well, the right goalie showed up for the Maple Leafs. Andersen showed none of the rust that has seemed to plague him early in seasons and he made save after save all night long – except for one. Although I’ve never faced a shot from an NHL-quality player so who am I to say; but, as far as NHL-quality chances go, it seemed like a bit of a softie.
Still, one mistake in a night for a player isn’t bad. Obviously, Andersen’s errors seem more egregious because the results can be so immediately devastating, but he certainly wasn’t alone in his errors. I thought the Maple Leafs forwards made mistake after mistake by redundantly trying to stick-handle through the forest of Blue Jackets defenders, losing pucks, and then having to chase down Blue Jackets who broke out quickly on the resulting turnovers.
Related: Blue Jackets Frustrate Maple Leafs, Stars Fail To Make a Difference
Andersen’s Regular-Season Blahs Are Behind Him
In this game, although Andersen’s regular season might have been stronger, he proved once again he was a quality playoff goalie. His goals-against-average during the season was 2.85, and he gave up a single goal last night. His regular-season save percentage was .909, and last night it was 0.971. He really couldn’t have played much better.
It’s tough to fault him for this loss. In fact, he was one of the best players on the ice for either team. No team can win a game if it doesn’t score, and the Maple Leafs simply didn’t score. The game was Andersen’s 49th playoff game. In total, he hasn’t won a postseason series since 2015 when he helped lead his Anaheim Ducks to the Western Conference Final.
Andersen’s Teammates Are Behind Him
Prior to the game, defenseman Morgan Rielly noted about Andersen, “He’s definitely a guy that really enjoys the process and he enjoys practicing and trying to get better. I think come playoff time all that stuff becomes that much more important. He wants to prove himself again. He’s very motivated, that’s who he is as a person, he wants to prove people wrong and be a big part of what we’re doing. We’re lucky to have him on this team and he brings it every day so I would expect him to be ready.”
It’s a funny phrase, “proving people wrong,” and it isn’t the first time Rielly has used it. In early June, he said the same thing but for his whole team. It will be interesting to see what the Maple Leafs do after a day to think about how they played.
Related: Maple Leafs Head Coach Sheldon Keefe: What We Might Have Missed
On Tuesday, the Maple Leafs Better Be Behind Him
Andersen and his Maple Leafs teammates get another chance on Tuesday to beat the Blue Jackets. But, they’ll have to score to do that. No team can win a hockey game if they don’t score. Hockey’s simple that way.
We’ll see how the Maple Leafs do. If the right Andersen shows up and the team’s offense begins to click, there’s a chance. The Winnipeg Jets showed that today with their win over Calgary. A team can look completely out of it one game and win the next.
