Andersen, Marleau step up in win over Wild, Matthews status up in the air

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The Toronto Maple Leafs received some favorable bounces and had veterans step up with leading scorer Auston Matthews not in the lineup, as Toronto won 4-2 over the Minnesota Wild at Air Canada Centre on Wednesday.

Connor Carrick’s first goal of the season on a deflected point shot early in the third provided the winning margin for the Leafs, who have won the first two games of a three-game homestand.

Nazem Kadri, Patrick Marleau and Connor Brown also scored and Frederik Andersen earned first star honors with 35 saves in his ninth win of the year.

“(Freddy) just stays with it. It doesn’t seem like anything really bothers him (out) there, which is great.… Kadri said after the game. “You want to see that attribute in a goaltender, especially playing in a city like Toronto. He’s been rock solid for us. He’s got to play good and he’s done nothing but that to give us a chance.…

After trading goals in the first, the turning point occurred early in the middle frame, as Andersen made a sparking right pad save on Minnesota’s Matt Cullen. On the resulting counterattack, Zach Hyman set up Marleau for his sixth of the season and put Toronto into a lead they would not relinquish.

Marleau skated in between Hyman and Connor Brown in a revamped Leafs lineup and played just over 14 minutes (mostly at even strength) and the 38-year-old showed that he was up to the task on numerous occasions.

“Any time you have a chance to play with a player with that much experience, you learn a lot of things.… Hyman said of Marleau. “Patty is a great player whether he plays wing or center. He played center with me and (Connor) and it was fun playing with him, really enjoyed it.…

Following the game, Leafs head coach Mike Babcock did not offer much information on the status of Matthews (who missed the first regular season game of his career with an unspecified upper body injury) for the upcoming back-to-back/home-and-home match with the Boston Bruins this weekend and said at Thursday’s practice that the 20-year-old was day-to-day.

Andersen and Jake Gardiner were given maintenance days, but are expected to play on Friday.

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On Tuesday, Pierre LeBrun reported on TSN’s Insider Trading that the 24-year-old winger has a clause in his entry-level contract that allows him return to play in the KHL if he is not on an NHL roster by November 15.

Soshnikov scored for the Toronto Marlies in a 4-2 loss to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Wednesday and has 10 points (four goals and six assists) in 12 games for the Leafs AHL affiliate.

Soshnikov played two seasons for Moscow Oblast Atlant before signing a three-year deal with Toronto in 2015. That franchise folded the following year for financial reasons.

According to agent Daniel Milstein, Soshnikov’s KHL rights are owned by SKA St. Petersburg, who have a league’s best record at 28-3-0. Milstein indicated that they have not approached SKA about a return to Russia, which likely means that there have been assurances that Soshnikov will be recalled by the Leafs before the November 15th deadline.

Following the back-to-back games with Boston, the Leafs have four days off and it is possible that there will be some resolution in Soshnikov or Josh Leivo’s roster situation by the time they take to the ice next week. *******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact… button at the top of the page.*******