Florida Panthers at Toronto Maple Leafs: Tuesday NHL preview
Leafs backup Curtis McElhinney gets call vs. Toronto fan favourite James Reimer and the Panthers at ACC.
https://www.thestar.com/sports/leaf...-toronto-maple-leafs-tuesday-nhl-preview.html
By Dave FeschukSports Columnist
Mon., March 27, 2017
AIR CANADA CENTRE
FACEOFF: 7:30 p.m.
TV: TSN4
RADIO: TSN 1050
KEY MATCHUP
McElhinney vs. Reimer
With Toronto No. 1 Frederik Andersen on the shelf, it’ll be up to Curtis McElhinney to deliver a much-needed win against an opposing goaltender Leaf fans know and love. James Reimer, who spent most of six seasons in Toronto before a 2016 trade sent him to San Jose, has found a niche in south Florida, where he’s put up a .920 save percentage in 34 starts this season. McElhinney isn’t as experienced (with just 116 career NHL starts compared to Reimer’s 230), and he hasn’t been deployed nearly as frequently this season, starting a combined 12 times for Columbus and Toronto. So if the netminding advantage goes to the visitors, the Leafs will need to find a way to tip the balance elsewhere.
NEED TO KNOW
The Leafs have won three of four previous meetings with the Panthers this season, but fell 7-2 in their most recent matchup a couple of weeks back. … Toronto’s power play ranks second in the league at 24 per cent efficiency. Florida’s penalty kill ranks first at an offence-strangling 86 per cent. The Leafs have gone 2 for 13 with the man advantage against the Panthers so far this season. … While the Leafs enjoyed Sunday off before a Monday practice, the Panthers will play the second of back-to-back games after Monday’s outing in Buffalo.
UP NEXT
Thursday at Nashville, 8 p.m.
Leafs will be without G Andersen against Panthers
The Associated PressMar 28, 2017, 1:11 AM
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/leafs-without-g-andersen-against-panthers-051127829--nhl.html
TORONTO -- The Toronto Maple Leafs enjoyed smooth sailing in pursuit of a playoff spot -- until Saturday.
That was when the team's No. 1 goaltender, Frederik Andersen, did not appear after the first period of the Leafs' 5-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. Andersen is listed as day-to-day with what is being termed an upper-body injury.
Curtis McElhinney, who took over from Andersen on Saturday and allowed three goals on 22 shots, will start Tuesday night when the Maple Leafs play the Florida Panthers at the Air Canada Centre.
The Panthers had goaltender trouble themselves in Buffalo. James Reimer allowed four goals on 22 shots and was removed from the game after the Sabres scored with 4:52 to play in the second period. Reto Berra replaced him.
Florida got goals from Jonathan Huberdeau and Jonathan Marchessault, who leads the team with 29 goals and has six in the past three games.
Florida's Reilly Smith was stopped on a penalty shot by Buffalo goaltender Robin Lehner at 5:23 of the third period.
"It was a lot of opportunities out there," Smith said. "It was just tough that not a lot of them went in the back of the net."
"We didn't play the way we're supposed to," Panthers general manager and interim coach Tom Rowe said. "We weren't prepared mentally or physically, and that's what happens when you come into a building like this and they're ready and we weren't."
