Toronto Maple Leafs: Frederik Andersen gives team wake up call
After the Toronto Maple Leafs overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, Frederik Andersen showed his frustration with his team’s performance.
Someone on the Toronto Maple Leafs needed to step up and say something, no other player earned the right to do that more than Frederik Andersen.
Sure the Leafs gained another point in the standing but for the third time in the last four games they let two points get away from them. Usually this would frustrate a coach but Mike Babcock remained calm after the game.
“You do it a second time and now, suddenly, it gets in your head,” Babcock said to reporters.“There’s no reason to let things get to your head. We’re going through a spell where we’re not as good as we can be, let’s find a way to dig out. That’s what we’ve got to do tomorrow.
Well apparently Babcock fails to see the effect his team’s play is having on his most valuable player who deserved a better fate than what he got against the Flyers.
It was refreshing to see Andersen say what his head coach should be saying, but at the same time concerning that the Leafs goalie is starting to tip his frustration. If this is what he thinks, what are the other players not saying? Here is what he had to say.
"“We’ve got to figure out who wants to commit to playing for the team,” Andersen told the media postgame. “We have to come with a different attitude. We played well enough for two periods and we’ve got to find a way to keep the foot on the gas the whole game.”"
One play in particular had troubled the 28-year-old and that was the shorthanded goal by Wayne Simmonds where there was no support at the point following a turnover in the offensive zone that led to a 2-on-1.
“I think a lot of guys on the bench, too, (are) pretty frustrated not being on the power play and seeing that kind of effort,” Andersen added. “I don’t think we’re tired. I think it’s a lack of effort at certain points. It certainly can’t happen. We got to figure this out if we want to play any meaningful hockey later. We have to figure this out.”
There is no one on the Leafs’ that should take issue with Andersen calling them out, the team has not made it any easier on him with the number of shots he has faced. Andersen has seen 1,340 shots on goal, Henrik Lundqvist sits second with 1,244 and despite that he has a .922 save percentage.
While the Leafs don’t have a captain, Andersen should be commended for standing up and saying what needs to be said, rather than sit back and say that they will just try to regroup.
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The big question now is whether Leafs are going to take the message and get their first regulation win since Dec. 28. As Andersen just showed, there is no hiding from this and while their playoff position is not in jeopardy, their chances of moving on in the playoffs are.