Andersen admits his mental game is off right now

Even through the Toronto Maple Leafs Struggles earlier in the season, goaltender Frederik Andersen remained at the top of his game and was one of the main reasons the team had some wins to show on their record. Fast forward a couple of months and Andersen is clearly battling something. He's even admitting to it. 

Looking over his last three games, all losses, his highest save percentage is .861 when he stopped 31 of 36 shots against Buffalo. It dropped to a dismal .792 last night in the team’s terrible 5-2 loss to Pittsburgh. Andersen managed to save 19 of 24 shots. So what’s the problem? According to reporter Luke Fox, Andersen says he’s fine physically.

“Frederik Andersen maintains he feels ‘fine’ physically but admits a mental battle to his game right now. Says he’s at his best when only focusing on what he can control,” Fox posted on Twitter.

That’s not good news for Toronto as the team battles to get into a playoff spot with not a lot of time left in the season. Meanwhile, the team clearly wants him to sort it out. Despite his sub-par performance last night, he’s getting the nod to start again Thursday night, another game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

It is interesting to note that while Andersen said he feels fine physically, his numbers since returning from his last injury indicate a different story. With Pittsburgh’s final goal last night, he had allowed 12 on his last 67 shots.