Källgren records shutout in 1st NHL start, Maple Leafs beat Stars

By Lucas Casaletto

At the very least, Erik Källgren has earned himself another start in the NHL.

The 25-year-old rookie goalie recorded a 35-save shutout in his first-ever start in the crease for the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 4-0 win against the Dallas Stars.

Källgren got the nod over the struggling Petr Mràzek, who has a .859 save percentage in his last six starts. The team’s other goalie, Jack Campbell, wasn’t faring any better of late before it was announced he’d miss at least two weeks with a rib injury.

Källgren stole the show, with a number of timely saves against the Stars but most importantly, gave the Maple Leafs’ stable goaltending for the first time in what seems like forever.

“We felt really good about his time in the net the last time we were in this building,” said head coach Sheldon Keefe. “We saw enough in his short time in the net and his time in the AHL to give him an opportunity.”

John Tavares, with a goal and an assist, Rasmus Sandin and Ondrej Kase scored for Toronto. Mitch Marner and Morgan Rielly added two assists each, while Ilya Mikheyev added an empty netter.

“For a guy who was dealing with so much and the excitement of going in there, he showed extreme poise and confidence in that moment,” Tavares said of Källgren.

“It’s a big part of the position, in particular, when you’re a part of the Leafs and in this city.”

The 25-year-old rookie Swede, who made seven saves in relief of Mràzek in Thursday’s 5-4 shootout loss to the Arizona Coyotes in his NHL debut, is the first Leafs goalie to record a shutout in his first NHL start since Garret Sparks on Nov. 30, 2015.

“For a guy who was dealing with so much and the excitement of going in there, he showed extreme poise and confidence in that moment. It’s a big part of the position, in particular, when you’re a part of the Leafs and in this city,” Keefe said.

Toronto was minus NHL goal leader Auston Matthews after he was suspended two games for a cross-check to the neck of Sabres defenceman Rasmus Dahlin in Sunday’s 5-2 loss to Buffalo at the outdoor Heritage Classic in Hamilton — a contest where Mrazek was badly at fault on the winning goal.

Tuesday also marked the first NHL game featuring both Leafs’ rookie forward Nick Robertson and older brother Jason, who leads the Stars with 30 goals and sits second with 55 points.

Sporting a 15-8-1 record with a .904 save percentage for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies in 2021-22, Källgren got a nice round of applause from the crowd at Scotiabank Arena following a few early stops before the Leafs took a 1-0 lead.

The Maple Leafs will host former goalie Frederik Andersen and the Carolina Hurricanes at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday.


With files from The Canadian Press

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