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The Leafs are on a war path; Andersen’s rock solid

November 16, 2018, 1:59 PM ET [146 Comments]
Lucas Neilson
Blogger •Atlantic Division Writer • RSSArchiveCONTACT
When Matthews hurt his shoulder I expected the Leafs scoring to slow down a bit, which I think most of us did. Little did we know Kadri would get the monkey off his back and go on an absolute scoring rampage! Seems as if the Leafs are scoring in bunches with or without Matthews. Tavares and Marner certainly haven’t slowed down, nor has Morgan Rielly who leads the NHL in points for a defenseman.

How about Frederik Andersen? The man is on a mission. He’s won his last five starts and his numbers have been eye popping. Let’s take a look…

TOR VS SJS – 45 shots (.933 save percent)
TOR VS LAK – 23 shots (.957 save percent)
TOR VS NJD – 39 shots (.974 save percent)
TOR VS VEG – 37 shots (.973 save percent)
TOR VS PIT – 31 shots (shutout)

Andersen leads the National Hockey League with 11 wins. He’s sporting a .934 save percent, 2.08 GAA and has been possessed in the month of November. Freddie Andersen has been a dominant force for the Buds and just may surpass his record of most Maple Leafs goalie wins in a season that he broke last year (38 wins).

The addition of Andersen has given the Leafs hope between the pipes and has also added a top 6 winger with elite skating speed in Kapanen. The Leafs are fortunate that Kapanen is also able to put the puck in the back of the net and has been absolutely deadly killing penalties. There is your Kessel deal at the end of the day.

If you think about the damage the Leafs are doing without both Matthews and Nylander in the lineup it’s quite impressive. They have been scoring at will with and without big Auston in the lineup. Tavares really adds another dimension to this Leafs offense. Seems their depth is much better overall in terms of skill, there aren’t really any role players on the team. Everyone is meshing well and the team looks more confident than ever.

Have the Leafs ever gone on the three game trip to California (SJ, ANA, LA) and won all three? Not that I can remember…Let’s see if the Buds can rally and finish off strong with a win over the Ducks.

Enjoy tonight’s game.

Thanks for reading,

Go Leafs Go!
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