McKenna’s Matchup of the Day: Feb. 24 – Kaapo Kahonen vs. Petr Mrazek

Former NHL netminder Mike McKenna provides his Daily Faceoff Starting Goalie Matchup of the Day for Thurs. Feb. 24, 2022:

Two goaltenders that are battling for crease time will go head to head tonight in Toronto when the Maple Leafs host the Minnesota Wild.

Kaapo Kahkonen is set to make his 20th appearance of the season in goal for the Wild. He sports an 8-1-1 record in his last 10 starts.

For the Maple Leafs, Petr Mrazek is slated to start his 10th game of the season. He’s 6-4-0 on the season. But Mrazek has lost consecutive games to the Montreal Canadiens and Vancouver Canucks, allowing eight goals over two games.

Kahkonen is making a strong case to supplant 2022 NHL All-Star Cam Talbot as the Wild’s starting goaltender. He has 12 wins in 17 starts and his .921 Sv% ranks 11th league-wide among goaltenders that have played 10 or more games.

Mrazek has missed significant time with injury this season and has yet to find his rhythm. The Leafs need him to be better: Mrazek’s .890 Sv% is not in line with the $3.8 million cap hit his contract carries through the 2022-23 season.

Both goaltenders in tonight’s game can be flashy. Kahkonen has an extremely low and wide stance that’s reminiscent of retired NHL goaltender Kari Lehtonen. He’s explosive and energetic. But playing so far on his inside edges can make rotating difficult.

Mrazek prefers an aggressive depth, often spending time outside his crease in the white ice. It takes extra effort and lateral movement to stay square to the shooter playing that way. The result is Mrazek sometimes struggles to get his feet set before the shot. His game lacks precision. But Mrazek has historically made up for it with reflexes and intuition.

Bottom line: Kahkonen needs to keep rolling. Mrazek needs to get going.