Leafs netminder Andersen not out long-term, but won’t join team out west

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Frederik Andersen won’t be a long-term injury issue for the Maple Leafs, but neither is he rejoining them for the final three games on their western road trip.

And with Jack Campbell able to practise on Thursday afternoon in Winnipeg, right after his seventh consecutive win there on Wednesday night, there’s no rush.

Coach Sheldon Keefe said Andersen’s follow-up medical appointment on Thursday in Toronto regarding his undisclosed injury, presumably with a specialist, had a positive outcome.

“The feedback I’ve been given is that he’s progressing well,” Keefe said. “We’ll continue to monitor him and re-assess him next week.”

Andersen has not gone on the ice the past few days after not being in a game since a March 19 loss to Calgary. In the meantime, Campbell appeared to be fine during and after Thursday’s 3-1 win over the Jets, which came following three days off with his own lower body issue. The coach insisted the team was not fretting about Campbell one day to the next.

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“It’s nice to have him out there, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it ‘relief’”, Keefe said. “We’ve been going along with the plan for him and I’ve never been too concerned about it in terms of how we’re managing it, whether he took the day off today.”

So, Campbell should play Friday against the Jets and likely one of the back-to-backs against Calgary starting Sunday, with Michael Hutchinson getting the other assignment.

If Campbell can win his next start, the eight straight would tie George Hainsworth (1934-35) for the second most victories to begin a season. Felix Potvin’s nine from the team-record 10-game win streak to start ‘93-94 is the most recent. Campbell is the first Leafs goaltender to win seven consecutive at any stage in a season since Jonas Gustavsson in March of 2010.

SOUR PLAY

Next on Keefe’s to-do list is fixing the power play. As much as it opened the door for an early-season plunder of points, now the question is how all of that star offensive talent has managed to go on an 0-for-24 slide.

“We’ve really gotten away from what was successful for us,” said Keefe, who again “re-organized” both units on Thursday to reflect having Auston Matthews, Joe Thornton and Wayne Simmonds return to health. “We’ve gone through different phases, we had to make a bunch of adjustments to account for injuries and we’ve really been kind of chasing it the last handful of games.

“Last night, we tried taking two pieces from each unit, Matthews and Mitch Marner, and John Tavares and William Nylander. We didn’t like the way that went and we’re just really focusuing now on getting ourselves back to what our identity was at the start —  two true units that will be fresh, have legs, urgency and compete with each other.”

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Marner and Morgan Rielly, who is the lone defenceman on the first unit, said on Thursday they all must do a better job getting pucks through. That creates rebounds and maximizes the net-front presence the club brought in with Simmonds.

“There are periods of time when we were passing it around the perimeter, trying to get a play we liked,” Rielly said. “We just waited too long. We worked today just trying to get pucks on net and creating opportunities.”

Tavares says assistant coach Manny Malhotra has kept the unit on task despite the dip.

“Part of that is sometimes things just don’t go your way,” Tavares said. “There are times we’ve done a lot of good things, but haven’t been rewarded. It’s a long season.”

“We have the skill out there to do some pretty great things,” Marner said. “The puck hasn’t been dropping. It will eventually.”

CHANGE OF SCENERY

Don’t expect the Leafs to call off their bird dogs as the trade deadline nears, just because they’re in first place and, for now, have a healthy roster.

But the speed at which Alex Galchenyuk has adapted to the team and the second line with Tavares and Nylander could be their Plan B for left-wing depth in the playoffs. Galchenyuk came close on a couple of chances on Wednesday after three points his first five games and played a season-high 15:06. Before that, the former third overall pick couldn’t catch on with a few teams.

“He’s come in with a great attitude and brings a lot of intensity,” Tavares praised. “He wants to make his presence felt, whether that’s being hard on the forecheck or playing with pace in his game. He has a good sense of where to be, finding open ice and places we can get him the puck and sustain possession.

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“The skill set is there, the desire, the opportunity … sometimes it’s just timing (with the right team).”

BUZZING HYMAN

While tinkering with the power play, Keefe has not changed his game-night roster much of late and has decided the best place for Zach Hyman is left wing with Matthews and Marner after Simmonds and Thornton auditioned.

Hyman is a perfect complement for the club’s two leading scorers, adding a goal and assist himself on Wednesday and a club-high six shots on Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck.

“Watching him hound the puck the way he does often makes you smile on the bench,” said Rielly. “I’m glad I don’t have to deal with him. He’s a truly great teammate to have.”

REJECTING THE RUBBER

One big reason the Leafs still lead the Northern Division? Fewest shots against of all seven teams, currently an average of 28 a night, near the least in the NHL.

“Structure, team defence, players really understanding the importance of it, truly buying in and our goalies have been doing a great job, Jack is playing well,” Rielly rhymed off. “When we have confidence and are able to play with the puck in the offensive zone, not turning it over upon entries, it helps quite a bit. When we’re in the driver’s seat of games, that will naturally bring the shot total down.”

LOOSE LEAFS

In addition to Winnipeg captain Blake Wheeler’s injury early on Wednesday, which could keep him out a while when updated Friday, Paul Stastny had a tooth knocked out by an errant stick … Jets coach Paul Maurice on navigating the North: “We see such different styles in this division. Vancouver and Calgary are almost straight line, almost every puck dumped, a real physical battle at both ends. Toronto and Edmonton, there’s so much danger off their rush” … Winnipeg native Adam Brooks is on Toronto’s taxi squad for this trip, but Keefe said there was no hometown visit involved, the young centre is here to play if needed. Keefe pointed out COVID-19 protocols are pretty strict anyway in regards to contact with family.

lhornby@postmedia.com