He was able to complete the opening frame, but backup Curtis McElhinney led the team out of the tunnel to begin the second period.
Andersen had won six of this last eight starts entering Saturday's contest, helping the Maple Leafs grab hold of a top-three seed in the Atlantic Division.
McElhinney has a 4-4-0 record and .923 save percentage in nine appearances since joining the Maple Leafs.
He was able to complete the opening frame, but backup Curtis McElhinney led the team out of the tunnel to begin the second period.
Andersen had won six of this last eight starts entering Saturday's contest, helping the Maple Leafs grab hold of a top-three seed in the Atlantic Division.
McElhinney has a 4-4-0 record and .923 save percentage in nine appearances since joining the Maple Leafs.
Matthews picked up his 34th of the season, tying Wendel Clark's mark from the 1985-86 season.
The goal temporarily gives Matthews a share of the NHL rookie goals lead with Winnipeg Jets forward Patrik Laine. The two are also level on 61 points, which is tops among first-year players.
Matthews is now just five points away from tying Peter Ihnacak for the franchise's rookie points record.
The Buffalo Sabres may be on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, but their offensive skill is nothing to scoff at.
Just ask Tyler Ennis and Ryan O'Reilly. The duo linked up on a gorgeous goal during the Sabres' match with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night, as Ennis corralled a bank pass from Kyle Okposo and spun it into a perfectly placed dish for O'Reilly.
The latter forward one-touched the puck into the net, earning his 18th goal of the season.
Forget No. 8, No. 30 appears to be Alex Ovechkin's lucky number.
The Washington Capitals forward whipped his 30th goal of the season past Arizona Coyotes netminder Mike Smith on Saturday night to hit the mark for the 12th straight year, becoming just the third player in NHL history to begin his career with such a streak.
The New York Islanders have their sights set on a playoff berth, and captain John Tavares is doing his part to snag that coveted spot.
Tavares opened the scoring during his club's Saturday-night tilt with the Boston Bruins - who are right in the mix for the Islanders' Eastern wild-card spot - slipping through the the first layer of the Bruins' defense before wiring the puck through a defender's legs.
The goal was Tavares' 28th of the season, and his 65th total point.
With yet another defeat Saturday afternoon - this time to the Vancouver Canucks by a 4-2 margin - the Wild have now lost seven of their last eight games, all coming in regulation.
The streak has left many around the organization fuming, none more so than head coach Bruce Boudreau who spared very little in ripping his club postgame.
"It was embarrassing, I'm embarrassed," Boudreau said. "To me, if I were the fans, I'd be booing even more because they paid good money for this."
Saturday's game was the club's 13th in the last 24 days - a ton of hockey no doubt - but Boudreau doesn't see a busy schedule as an alibi.
"We're not going to use fatigue as an excuse any more," Boudreau said.
Boudreau said if this was earlier in the year, "changes would be made." Post deadline, limited callups, it's up to the players
Boudreau continued by stating opposing clubs can do whatever they want in front of the Wild goal, while his players haven't been able to do the same at the other end.
Despite the team's recent slide, it would still take a miracle for Minnesota to miss the playoffs, or even fall out of its current spot in the Central Division.
The Wild sit second with 94 points, eight back of the Chicago Blackhawks and nine up on the St. Louis Blues. That being said, things will need to change, or the club's time in the Stanley Cup playoffs could be short-lived.
After getting bounced from the 2016 playoffs in seven games, fresh off posting his lowest offensive totals in three years, it was fair to say Ryan Getzlaf was looking for redemption this season.
The Anaheim Ducks captain's 2015-16 campaign wasn't his most inspiring effort, as his 13 goals and 63 points sat well below the 31 goals and 87 points he posted just two years prior.
But this year, it seems Getzlaf has managed to right the ship.
The captain has already essentially matched last year's totals, doing so in 10 fewer games and with eight more to go. His 14 goals have bested last year's mark, while his 62 points are just one shy of reaching that campaign's benchmark.
However, it's Getzlaf's exceptional play as of late that has the Ducks truly picking up steam.
Since the beginning of March, the veteran has been on a flat-out tear, piling up 16 points through 11 games to tie for the second-most among all skaters over that span. Getzlaf also ranks fourth in the league in points per game since March 1, while this has clearly been the centerman's strongest month of the season:
Month
Games Played
Points
Points Per Game
October
8
8
1.00
November
12
10
0.83
December
15
11
0.73
January
10
9
0.90
February
11
8
0.73
March
11
16
1.45
That's excellent news for the Ducks, as their division has become far tougher with the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames both taking significant steps forward in their rebuilds.
Add in the Stanley Cup finalist San Jose Sharks, and it's clear the postseason grind won't be easy in the West, meaning picking up momentum as the regular season comes to a close could be crucial.
Unsurprisingly, Anaheim has posted a strong month alongside their captain. The Ducks have reeled off seven wins in their past nine contests, leaving them neck and neck with the Sharks for the division lead.
With five of their remaining eight tilts matching them up with division rivals - including three combined games against the Oilers and Flames - a strong finish will be key. But with Getzlaf taking his club on his back and regaining his elite offensive touch, that doesn't project to be an issue for the surging Ducks.
Sergei Bobrovsky hit a benchmark Saturday that few of his countrymen have reached.
With a 1-0 shutout of the Philadelphia Flyers, the Columbus Blue Jackets netminder became just the fourth Russian goalie in NHL history to post a 40-win season.
The most wins by a Russian goalie in a single season is 46, by Nabokov, which he accomplished during the 2007-08 season as a member of the San Jose Sharks.
The Blue Jackets have eight games remaining, meaning it might be tough for Bobrovsky to hit Nabokov's record, but, nevertheless, the 28-year-old has certainly had one heck of a campaign.
The Calgary Flames dipped into the collegiate pool for some defensive depth.
Ohio State blue-liner Josh Healey signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the club, the Flames announced Saturday.
Healey recorded 25 points in 35 games in his senior season with the Buckeyes, who were eliminated by Minnesota-Duluth in the opening round of the NCAA tournament in overtime Friday night.
The 22-year-old will finish out the campaign with the Flames' AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat, and his two-year deal will begin next season.