Leafs player shot himself in the foot in earning roster spot…

Some statistics simply don’t lie. Xavier Ouellet and Artturi Lehkonen each scored twice as the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-1 in pre-season play on Monday night. Charles Hudon tallied the other goal for the Habs, which picked up its fourth victory in five exhibition outings. Antti Niemi managed to make 29 stops for the Canadiens, which is an encouraging sign for star goalie Carey Price going forward: he can count on his backup goalie. 

Can the Leafs say the same about their plans in between the pipes to reassure starting netminder Frederik Andersen? Clearly, if the battle was between veteran goalie Curtis McElhinney and young netminder Garret Sparks, the latter might have just shit himself in the foot last night… 

During last night’s loss to the Canadiens, Sparks found himself under fire quite often, and did not manage to impress. 

“They were on top of me all night, but that’s something I have to learn to deal with at this level,” said Sparks after the game to Sportsnet. “I tried to hang in there and keep competing and keep battling and show that I wasn’t going to get walked over by anybody. I was going to make some saves.

“The guy that’s looking to get pulled isn’t the guy you want on your team.”

While he was glad he was able to finish the contest, Sparks has to be aware he diminished his chances to make the season-opener roster. See his comments in the video above. 

Head coach Mike Babcock didn’t say much about Sparks’ performance but it just said a lot… 

“You get paid to stop the puck, too. So…” said Babcock. Fill in the blank.

“You had an opportunity to be important tonight, and it didn’t go for ya,” Babcock said of his group after the loss. “What I wanted to see, I didn’t see any of it. You’re hoping someone grabs hold of something and makes it so obvious, you don’t have any decisions to make. That’s what supposed to happen.”

“It was nothing,” the coach concluded, exasperated. “The puck just went in the net, and the game was over.”

Let’s hope, as Sparks once say during the summer, that his relationship with new general manager Kyle Dubas, will be a factor that gives him a second chance before Oct. 3. 

“I think my relationship with Kyle Dubas is closer than I’ve ever had with any other member of management in this organization,” Sparks told Sportsnet in the summer. “He’s somebody who gets me, gets what I’m about, gets the passion I have for what I do. But, ultimately, it’s his decision.”