Andersen stopped 27 of 28 shots in the Maple Leafs win over the Jets on Monday. After two tough starts to open the season, Andersen stood tall on Monday and earned his second win in three starts. Tonight he'll face an Oilers team that has struggled in their most recent outings, scoring just twice and going 0-for-10 on the power-play.
Stillman sat out of Sunday’s season opener but will replace Gustav Forsling in the lineup on Tuesday. Stillman had five assists in 34 games last season.
Kase was hurt in Saturday afternoon's game against the Devils and did not return to the game. With Kase out, Jack Studnicka will draw back into the lineup after sitting in the second game of the season.
Andersen allowed five goals on 24 shots in the Maple Leafs' 5-3 loss in Ottawa last Friday. It was a terrible outing for Andersen, who has now given up nine goals on 56 shots (.839 SV)% to open the season. After not even dressing for rest purposes on Saturday, the Maple Leafs will try to get Andersen going tonight vs. a Patrik Laine-less Jets team.
Andersen allowed five goals on 24 shots in the Maple Leafs' 5-3 loss in Ottawa last Friday. It was a terrible outing for Andersen, who has now given up nine goals on 56 shots (.839 SV)% to open the season. After not even dressing for rest purposes on Saturday, the Maple Leafs will try to get Andersen going tonight vs. a Patrik Laine-less Jets team.
Staal was added to the NHL’s COVID-19 list on Friday and will miss Saturday’s rematch in Detroit. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour said he has “no idea” how long Staal will be out. Morgan Geekie has been recalled and will replace Staal on Saturday.
Andersen allowed four goals on 32 shots in the Maple Leafs 5-4 overtime win over the Canadiens on opening night. It wasn't Andersen's sharpest performance but the Maple Leafs' high-powered offence was enough to overcome it. Tonight he takes on a Senators team that is improved in 2021 but still represent a solid matchup for Andersen.
Staal took an elbow to the jaw from Nic Dowd on Thursday and did not return to the game. Head coach Ralph Krueger did not have an update on Staal postgame but called him day-to-day and they'll see "how he is in the morning." It seems unlikely that Staal will suit up for the second game of the season which would likely mean more minutes for Cody Eakin or rookie Dylan Cozens.
Andersen has been a workhorse during his four years in Toronto, leading the NHL with 244 starts over that span. Had the 2020 season not been cut short, he would have won 30-plus games for the fourth straight season but posted a career-worst 2.85 GAA and .909 SVS%. He'll look to be sharper in 2021 and that starts with a matchup vs. Montreal. He is 3-0-1 with a .907 SV% in his first four opening night starts with the Maple Leafs.
Gostisbehere has missed the last couple of practices and will miss the season opener vs. the Penguins. Gostisbehere was skating on the top-pair in the middle of camp but Justin Braun will assume that role on Wednesday. Gostisbehere is not on IR, so he shouldn't miss an extended period of time.
In a late-night Boxing Day deal, the Senators brought in veteran centre Derek Stepan from Arizona. Stepan has one-year left on his deal, which carries a $6.5M cap-hit (per PuckPedia) and should prove to be a veteran stop-gap while the Senators' young centres continue to develop. Sepand has a chance to step into the Senators' top-6 and potentially play with Brady Tkachuk and/or Evgenii Dadonov. The last couple of seasons have been rough for Stepan, but he brings great shot volume and a reliable two-way game to a team with a lot of youth.
Instead of overpaying a centre for four or five years in free agency, the Jets go back to a player they're familiar with via trade. Stastny was acquired at the trade deadline in 2018 and he had 28 points (10G / 18A) in 36 games between the regular season and playoffs combined. At 34-years-old, Stastny isn't the player he once was but he is a good short-term solution as the Jets' second line centre.
Staal will be 36 in October and is entering the final year of a two-year contract that carries a $3.25M AAV cap-hit. The move actually saves the Sabres $1.25M in cap space and they are getting the better player. Staal may be nearing the end of his career but he will be a great No.2 centre behind Jack Eichel and reunites with Jeff Skinner. They didn't play together a ton in Carolina but there should be familiarity there five years later.
