Maple Leafs may have dodged bullet with Andersen injury

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ playoff fate will rest on the shoulders of veteran goaltender Curtis McElhinney — for one game, anyways.

Mike Babcock announced at practice Monday that Frederik Andersen isn’t quite ready to play after sustaining an injury Saturday night, leaving McElhinney to hold the fort against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.

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Andersen hit the ice for an abbreviated practice session on Monday, along with McElhinney and Garret Sparks, who was recalled from the Toronto Marlies on an emergency basis.

Both Babcock and Andersen refused to get into specifics about the injury, with the goalie offering only that he felt off after getting bumped early in the first period against the Sabres.

Babcock sounded optimistic that the injury wouldn’t keep his No. 1 netminder out long term, while Andersen was a little more cautious with his language.

“It’s tough to predict, but we’re taking it slow. Felt pretty good today, but I’m taking it one day at a time,” Andersen told reporters.

As for McElhinney, he will be called upon to hold his own against a Panthers team that lit up the Maple Leafs 7-2 (McElhinney allowed four of those goals) in the wake of Fishing-Trip Gate and who shut out the Blackhawks 7-0 on Sunday.

It could be worse for the Leafs, however. McElhinney is in the midst of a career year, posting his best save percentage (.921) in 17 combined games with the Blue Jackets and Leafs since coming into the league in 2007-08. Although he didn’t fare well in relief duty against the Sabres, McElhinney picked up a win in his last start against the last-place, offence-averse Devils.

The Leafs are currently clinging to third place in the Atlantic Division by one point over the Boston Bruins, who are also in action Tuesday against the Nashville Predators, while holding a three-point cushion on the closest wild-card threat.

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Following their home date against the Panthers on Tuesday, the Maple Leafs will hit the road for three winnable games against the Predators (Thursday), Red Wings (Saturday) and Sabres (next Monday) before a grueling home stretch of four games in seven days to close the season.