McKenna’s Matchup of the Day: Mar. 17 – Frederik Andersen vs. Erik Kallgren

Former NHL netminder Mike McKenna provides his Daily Faceoff Starting Goalie Matchup of the Day for Thu. Mar. 17, 2022:

Why I like this matchup:

Erik Kallgren gets his second NHL start against the Carolina Hurricanes – one of the best teams in the NHL. The Swedish netminder is coming off a 35-shot shutout against the Dallas Stars, a performance that energized the Leafs fanbase.

This week I ranked the Hurricanes tandem of Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta No. 1 in the NHL. Tonight, Andersen faces his old team in Toronto.

What to watch for:

The storylines pretty much write themselves. Kallgren is a 25-year old rookie goaltender without a ton of experience playing in North America. Toronto’s goaltending hasn’t been good enough for months, and head coach Sheldon Keefe was finally forced to play Kallgren. He responded by posting a shutout in his first NHL start. And he passed the eye test. Kallgren doesn’t have great hands – pucks occasionally get away from him. But Kallgren, like many Swedish goaltenders, is positionally sound. He rarely ends up spread or reaching.

Freddie Andersen has quietly gone about his business in Carolina, racking up 30 wins in 39 starts to go with a .929 save percentage. But it’s more than numbers for Andersen. To me, he looks so comfortable in the net – a complete turn from his time with the Maple Leafs. It’s hard to believe the Leafs trusted Petr Mrazek over Andersen this past offseason, but here we are. It was good for Andersen to get out of Toronto. His time there had run its course. Now Andersen is having fun again and his technical game is on point.

What fantasy owners should do:

Fantasy teams that picked up Kallgren need to be careful: one game doesn’t define a season. And going up against a team like Carolina could be problematic. I’d be cautious starting him unless your team needs saves. Starting Andersen is always smart business.

Bottom line for Frederik Andersen:

As Master P so eloquently put it: make ’em say ugh. Every win for Andersen in Toronto is a reminder of what could have been.

Bottom line for Erik Kallgren:

Don’t try to do too much. Simple, consistent goaltending is what the Maple Leafs need.