Arizona Coyotes centre Alex Galchenyuk (17) scores on Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Petr Mrazek (35) during first period NHL action in Toronto on Thursday March 10, 2022.Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press
Goodness knows the Maple Leafs need a distraction at this point. A competent goaltender would help, too.
They will get the former on Sunday when they play in the Heritage Classic in Hamilton against the Buffalo Sabres at Tim Hortons Field. It looks to be a quintessential Canadian late-winter afternoon. The forecast calls for light snow and an avalanche of goals.
Over its past 11 games, Toronto has scored 46 goals. That is a very good clip. It has also allowed 50. That is a dreadful number for a team with postseason aspirations beyond one round.
The most recent implosion occurred during a 5-4 loss to Arizona on Thursday. Petr Mrazek was so terrible that he was lifted in favour of Erik Kallgren, a fellow who has appeared in 26 games at the AHL level with so-so results. He played well enough to give up just one goal, in overtime, against the Coyotes in his NHL debut.
Mrazek, who was signed as a free agent in the summer for three years at US$3.8-million a season, had four get past him on only 12 shots. It was Mrazek’s first start since it was disclosed that Jack Campbell has incurred a rib injury. Mrazek’s save percentage dropped to .884.
“To be honest, I wanted to take Mrazek out after the second goal, but I thought it was a tough position to put Kallgren in,” said Sheldon Keefe, the Toronto coach. “I hoped we could find some level ground.”
With Campbell likely out for two weeks, Mrazek will get the start again on Sunday because, well, there really isn’t anybody else. It is unlikely anyone in Leafs Land would hearken back to the good old days of Michael Hutchinson, but that is almost where we are.
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“There were a lot of things that made it obvious for us to give Petr another chance to go back in,” Keefe said on Friday. “He hasn’t played nearly to his ability, but he has won 10 games for us this year.”
Toronto is 37-16-5 and third in the NHL’s Atlantic Division but 5-4-2 over the past 11. Its offensive stars are padding their stats but that has not amounted to much in the win column. They lost recently to the Sabres, who are no better than usual, and captured only one of four possible points from Arizona this year.
A sellout crowd of 30,000 will be on hand for Sunday’s outdoor game, which is being held three months after the Grey Cup was played at the same venue under more restrictions because of COVID-19. It will be only the third NHL regular-season game to be played in Hamilton, after a 1925 contest at the Barton Street Arena and one at Copps Coliseum in 1994.
“I think this is going to be a great celebration,” Fred Eisenberger, the city’s mayor, said Friday. He said he learned to play hockey on wooden skates and frozen ponds. “This is going to be huge. We didn’t get the benefit of the fulsome Grey Cup experience. It was a bit muted.”
It is only the sixth time the Heritage Classic has been staged since nearly 60,000 people showed up at the inaugural game in Edmonton in 2003 on a day of -18 temperatures. The teams will skate on the football field’s surface for the first time on Saturday afternoon and play 60 minutes of organized shinny less than 24 hours later.
The Canadian women’s team, which won a gold medal in Beijing last month, will be on hand and there will be musical performances from an array of stars, including Alessia Cara, the 25-year-old pop singer from Mississauga who made history in 2018 as the first Canadian to win a Grammy for Best New Artist. The NHL brought with it a slew of big sponsors who will be present at a festival outside the stadium on Saturday and Sunday.
Hockey players are creatures of habit and usually don’t like interruptions that take them out of their banal routines. The Maple Leafs are embracing it now as their goaltenders spin like tops while pucks fly around them.
“I think it is a great opportunity to have a big stage,” said Jason Spezza, Toronto’s 38-year-old centre. He has been in a bit of a slump and sat out the past two games but will line up against the Sabres. “It is a little disruption in the season but maybe it is a good disruption for us at this point.
“I love outdoor hockey. I think it is its purest form. It’s what we all loved as kids. You’re out in the elements and don’t know what to expect. It’s fun.”