The shutout came at a good time for the Maple Leafs. They allowed at least four goals in six consecutive games and at least three in eight straight. Coach Sheldon Keefe said Wednesday there wasn't much of a question that Kallgren would start against the Hurricanes.
"Not a lot of thought goes into it; it's as simple as that," Keefe said. "He obviously earned it last night. The way the guys played in front of him, it was an easy decision.
"He was great, just continued where he left off. He wasn't trying to do too much in the net. He was solid, pucks came to him, and for the most part they stuck to him."
Kallgren made his NHL debut March 10 against the Arizona Coyotes in relief of Petr Mrazek, who allowed four goals on 12 shots and left with the Maple Leafs trailing 4-1. Kallgren entered 11:57 into the second period and made 10 saves, helping Toronto tie the game before losing 5-4 in overtime.
The Stockholm native, who grew up idolizing Sweden-born goalie Henrik Lundqvist, was 15-8-1 with a 3.02 goals-against average and .904 save percentage in the AHL.
"There was a lot of emotions, a lot of things to kind of digest," Kallgren said. "But I had a good meal and tried to go to bed as soon as I could. I got to bed about 12:30 a.m., something like that. I was a little more amped up than usual, to be honest.
"A lot of people reached out. I talked to my family and a lot of friends reached out. So I've got a lot of texts to respond to today. ... I don't know how many, it's a lot. I haven't counted. It was a lot of people who kind of helped get me where I am today."
Mrazek, who allowed four goals on 37 shots in a 5-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres at the 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic on March 13, said his confidence is still strong despite his recent struggles.
"I think it's where it was before," Mrazek said. "I don't change many things if the game was good or bad. I trust in the process.
"Just being positive and move on. Do the right things on the ice and look forward. I don't change anything, just keep working hard in practice, feel good about yourself in net, feel the puck and build your confidence."
Keefe said he feels Mrazek has handled the layoff well.
"He's a confident guy and he's been through this kind of stuff through his career," Keefe said. "... My talk with him has really just been to use this time to your benefit. Erik certainly has earned another start … clear your head, do your work, and be ready when your next start comes.
"Let's the paint dry on this one a little bit. No matter who is in goal for us, we have the ability and the responsibility to do the job in front of him. I don't know what the scoring chances or the expected goals look like tonight (numberswise), but that's as good as it has been in a real long time for us defensively."
