TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs set a club record 11-game home winning streak with a 6-5 shootout victory over the Dallas Stars at Air Canada Centre on Wednesday, but the result of the game was overshadowed by the injury to goaltender Frederik Andersen, who left the ice midway through the second period and did not return.
Andersen, who has faced the most shots in the NHL this season and is second in the league with 57 game starts, was injured at 14:24 of the first period, as Dallas crashed the net and Leafs blueliner Roman Polak cross-checked Stars forward Alexander Radulov into the crease area.
Leafs say upper-body for Frederik Andersen and that he's done for the night. Here's another angle on Alex Radulov being sent into Andersen by Roman Polak. Radulov's leg/knee goes straight into Andersen's mask on the way down. pic.twitter.com/OHf63hoagP
— Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette) March 15, 2018
The Leafs goaltender appeared in discomfort getting to his knees after the play and gingerly skated to the bench during a TV timeout. Dallas scored twice right after the incident and took the lead early in the second on Tyler Seguin's 37th goal of the season.
Andersen gave no indication during the first intermission that he was hurt, but left the game midway through the middle frame in favour of backup Curtis McElhinney and did not return to the Toronto bench.
"(There was) no heads up really. It's one of those things." McElhinney said after the game. "I'm sitting there doing my faceoffs and next thing you know they're handing my gloves to me. It was a strange game."
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Toronto charged back in the third period, erasing a 4-2 deficit as James van Riemsdyk scored his second and third goals of the game and tied the game with 15 seconds left in regulation on a goal from Patrick Marleau.
McElhinney made 13 saves in relief of Andersen and stopped both Dallas shootout attempts for the victory.
In spite of the initial appearance that the injury was to Andersen's lower body, the club's PR reported that he had suffered an upper-body injury. The Leafs goaltender has a history of concussion issues, including one suffered in the final week of the regular season against Pittsburgh and another earlier this year in a collision with former teammate Corey Perry.
Head coach Mike Babcock could not elaborate on the severity of the injury after the game and did not know whether Andersen would make the trip to Buffalo, where the Leafs play the Sabres on Thursday.
"I haven't asked yet, but it sure didn't seem like much." Babcock said. "(Andersen) played after he got hurt, so I don't know exactly. It's an upper body injury and I'll (know) more here in a bit."
Maple Leafs recall Garret Sparks
Playing the second half of a back-to-back on Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres, Toronto recalled goaltender Garret Sparks from the AHL Marlies under emergency conditions.
The @MapleLeafs announced today that the club has recalled goaltender Garret Sparks from the @TorontoMarlies (AHL) on an emergency basis. #TMLtalk
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) March 15, 2018
Sparks has been one of the best goaltenders in the minors this season, with the lowest goals-against average (1.78) and second-highest save-percentage (.936). Sparks appeared in 17 games for the Maple Leafs at the NHL level two season ago, posting a 6-9-1 record with an .893 save percentage.
A further update on Andersen has yet to be provided.