Petr Mrazek Closes in on Maple Leafs Return | The Canadian News

TORONTO – Maple Leafs goalkeeper Petr Mrazek is slowly closing in on returning from injury.

And because of the team’s excellent play in his absence, he has not felt the need to return quickly.

Mrazek participated in full practice with Toronto on Tuesday for the first time since a groin problem worsened on October 30.

The 29-year-old has been out since then, but joined the Leafs on their recent road trip and is on the cusp of watching the action of the game.

“I’m happy to be back, I can tell you that,” Mrazek said. “It has been a difficult time for me, but I feel good.

“(Injuries) happen in a sport. I tried to be positive and work hard to recover. “

“Jack and Joey played excellently,” said Mrazek, who is 1-1-0 with a .877 save percentage and a 4.20 GAA in his two appearances. “I am very happy for them. Taking a road trip with the guys and winning (games), he’s always so much happier in the locker room. “

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But Mrazek was injured in the second game of the season against the Ottawa Senators before taking two weeks to rehab. He returned for the Oct. 30 matchup against the Detroit Red Wings, and as he finished that one, Mrazek could feel a recurrence of the injury.

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“It wasn’t as bad as it was in Ottawa,” he explained. “A few days later, we were analyzing it and it was not improving.

“Sometimes these things happen.”

What also happened was that Campbell and the Leafs (16-6-1) had an incredible run through November, ending with a 12-2-0 record, the best in the NHL, to set a franchise record for wins in a calendar month.

Campbell is 12-4-1 overall this season with a .946 save percentage and a 1.64 goals against average.

And during the Toronto boom in November, the 29-year-old was 9-2-0 with a .959 save percentage to emphatically bet his claim on the number one spot for the Leafs, while rookie third spar Joseph Woll was 3-0-0 with a .939 saving percentage in his first three NHL starts.

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“Jack and Joey played excellently,” said Mrazek, who is 1-1-0 with a .877 save percentage and a 4.20 GAA in his two appearances. “I am very happy for them. Taking a road trip with the guys and winning (games), he’s always so much happier in the locker room. “

Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe said Woll will dress as Campbell’s backup on Wednesday when his team host the Colorado Avalanche (11-6-1). The plan is for Mrazek to connect with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League this weekend for some action when the Leafs visit the Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets.

“I don’t think I think so,” he said of the groin injury. “When you feel 100% on the ice, you don’t even know you have an injury.”

Traveling as part of the recent trip to Toronto allowed Mrazek to reconnect with his teammates and chat with a new one with whom he will be forever linked in hockey lore.

After having replaced injured Carolina Hurricanes starter James Reimer against Toronto at Scotiabank Arena on February 22, 2020, Mrazek shot out of his crease in the second period in an attempt to win a discus race with him. Leafs’ bruised winger, Kyle Clifford.

The two were embroiled in a violent collision that forced Mrazek out of the game, opening the door for backup emergency goalkeeper David Ayres, who would then make eight saves in an unlikely 6-3 victory.

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Clifford subsequently signed with the St. Louis Blues, but was repurchased by Toronto in a trade on November 16, which opened the door for a conversation with Mrazek about that memorable night.

“We sat next to each other on the plane playing poker,” said the netminder with a smile. “All good on that side. We talked a bit about that. He said he was going to get away, he was joking about that.

“He’s a great guy.”

Mrazek said it didn’t cross his mind during that crucial sequence that he was the only healthy Carolina goalkeeper available.

“You don’t even think at the time that you don’t have any backing,” he explained. “Just go for the record if you have to. That was what happened.

“I would go back for the album.”

When asked what he thought about how that game ended, an embarrassing night for the Leafs, Mrazek kept things light.

“I don’t think we have to go through that,” he replied, eliciting laughter from journalists. “Do we have to talk about it?”

This Canadian Press report was first published on November 30, 2021.

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