Sometimes, when you’re climbing the ladder as a young team, an experienced group will push you down a rung or two every now and then.
That seems to be happening with Frederik Andersen and the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.
Andersen & Co. carried a three-game winning streak into tonight’s game, but the embattled new Maple Leafs goalie couldn’t even make it through this entire contest against Los Angeles. Mike Babcock decided to give Andersen the hook after he gave up four goals on 26 shots.
Three of those tallies came in the second period, with Jeff Carter’s 4-0 goal being the last straw.
Now, it’s not to say that this is all on Andersen’s head.
The Maple Leafs have been outmatched in this game more or less from the start. Early on, the Kings generated a 9-1 shots advantage, and Peter Budaj has only had to make eight stops as of this writing.
It’s as if the Kings are saying “Not yet, kids.”
Update: It didn’t get any prettier in the third, as the Kings poured it on for a 7-0 win. Yikes.
“We embarrassed ourselves today,” Babcock said, according to the Globe & Mail’s James Mirtle.