Freddie Andersen is the poster boy for consistency

It’s been said often that being an NHL goaltender is one of the hardest positions in all of sports. Not only is it physically grueling, but NHL netminders take a lot of the blame when a team falters, even when it isn’t entirely their fault. When it comes to recent goaltenders in the league, few are as consistent as Frederick Andersen of the Toronto Maple Leafs, yet he rarely seems to get the credit he deserves when the team is successful.

In his last eight starts, Andersen has some unreal numbers. He averaged just shy of 31 shots per game. With a 6-2-0 record, he has a GAA of 1.88 and a save percentage of .939. While his efforts might go largely unnoticed outside of Toronto, it isn’t lost on his teammates at all. Morgan Reilly had some very high praise for Andersen after last night’s win over Vancouver.

"I think he’s one of the best goalies in the league. Moving forward I think we’ll try to limit the breakaways, but he was great.”

Head coach Sheldon Keefe is in complete agreement.

“It just gives our team confidence that we know, if we make a mistake, he's going to be there. Obviously, we don't want to have to rely on him like we did on the breakaways.”

If you’re sensing a pattern here, Toronto gave up four clear-cut breakaways and a couple of partial breaks in its 4-1 victory over the Canucks. Andersen completely shut the door, including two breakaway saves against an elite finisher in Brock Boeser. He earned First-Star of the Game honours and it was well deserved. While it’s doubtful Toronto wants to tire out it’s starting goaltender before the regular season ends, it’s tough not to continue going with Andersen while he’s rolling, especially when backup goaltender Michael Hutchinson’s numbers have been so dismal. Andersen is dialed in, and when he is, the Leafs usually end up on the winning side of things.

Perhaps it’s the fact that Toronto has so many other big names on the team that Andersen rarely gets the credit he deserves outside of the Leafs fan base. If he continues playing this way, though it will be next to impossible to ignore his impact on the team.