Sergei Bobrovsky gets the Maple Leafs crease tonight against the Sharks, and there's a fresh call-up sitting at the end of the bench.
Toronto recalled forward Vinni Lettieri and goaltender Artur Akhtyamov from the Marlies this morning. Akhtyamov backs up tonight, then backs up Anthony Stolarz on Tuesday in Columbus.
Elliotte Friedman called it game management with the goalies. Stolarz skips backup duty tonight and stays fresh for the second half of the back-to-back.
That's a sensible plan for a team that badly needs points. The Leafs sit 3-4-2, dead last in the Atlantic, riding a three-game losing streak.
Saturday night's 4-1 home loss to the Islanders stretched the skid. And the building hasn't offered much shelter, with a 2-3-1 record at home.
Nobody in the crease has a lock on anything. Bobrovsky owns one win in six appearances with a .891 save percentage.
The other half of the tandem hasn't been the fix. Stolarz sits at .875 over five games, which isn't a number that protects anybody's job.
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Maple Leafs face Macklin Celebrini with no margin left
So who's the starter in Toronto right now? Nobody, really, and a hard split is the right call because neither goalie has earned two straight nights.
But this isn't all on the guys in the blue paint. Jim Hiller's group has given up 32 goals through nine games while scoring 29.
Tonight's opponent won't make life easier. Macklin Celebrini rolls in with 11 points in six games, five of them power play assists.
San Jose is 4-3-1 after a 4-3 shootout loss in Detroit on Saturday. The Sharks are on a back-to-back of their own, with Montreal waiting Tuesday.
This is the first meeting of the season between these two clubs. Same goes for Columbus, which hosts Toronto the very next night.
The Blue Jackets are 3-4-0 and dropped a 2-1 decision in Minnesota on Sunday. Cameron Talbot stopped 32 of 34 shots in that one.
Columbus sits 27th overall, so Stolarz draws the softer test on paper. Jet Greaves already owns a shutout, though, and a .905 save percentage.
Carrying three goalies through a back-to-back is like packing a spare tire, a jack and a tow truck number for a weekend drive. Nice planning. It still doesn't fix the engine.
Up front, Auston Matthews is dragging the offence along with eight points over his last five games.
John Tavares is on injured reserve until at least Nov. 27, which leaves the top six thinner than anyone in that locker room wanted in October.
Lettieri gives Toronto another body up front. Whether he dresses against the Sharks is the next lineup question before puck drop.
After Columbus comes a home date with the Rangers, then a western road trip through Edmonton, Calgary, Seattle and Vancouver. If neither veteran grabs the net this week, how long does Akhtyamov stay up?
Should the Maple Leafs hand Artur Akhtyamov a start before the western road trip?
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