Many Maple Leafs fans might have blamed James Reimer for Toronto’s 6-0 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, but his team isn’t throwing him under the bus.
Defenseman Carl Gunnarsson happened to say so most dramatically, as the Globe & Mail’s James Mirtle reports.
“We had a really [blank] game and hung him out to dry,” Gunnarsson said.
Head coach Randy Carlyle didn’t give him a free pass, but seemed to echo that sentiment.
“I think that was on par with the rest of our group,” Carlyle said. “It was a team effort. It was nowhere near what we needed.”
Reimer simply said it wasn’t his night.
Overall, the Maple Leafs have often enjoyed outstanding goaltending between Reimer and Jonathan Bernier, so maybe it’s a call for the rest of the team to step up. Tyler Bozak seemed to think so, as he told TSN’s Jonas Siegel.
“Maybe a little bit of a wake-up call for us,” Bozak said. “We’re getting a little too comfortable.”
Perhaps it’s easier to get the message when you get blown out in your own building ...