Reimer To Sit Two Games, Sparks and Bibeau Are Your Goaltenders

Mike Babcock will be rolling the two youngest, most inexperienced netminders in the organization as his tandem this week with his 1A and 1B options both unavailable.

Ahead of the Leafs’ game this evening against the St. Louis Blues, Babcock told reporters that Garret Sparks and Antoine Bibeau will be holding down the crease for the next ten days.

In his first game back from injury on Thursday night, James Reimer let in one goal on 28 shots in an unfortunate 1-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild. He also reaggravated his undisclosed injury, and will be unavailable for tonight’s game in St. Louis and Wednesday’s game at home against the New Jersey Devils.

Bernier, on the other hand, will remain with the AHL Toronto Marlies. The conditioning stint got off to an excellent start last night when Bernier posted a 22-save shutout in a 4-0 Marlies win over the Rochester Americans.

So, who’s starting tonight? Garret Sparks will start his third career game this evening after earning his own shutout in his very first NHL game before giving up six goals to the Winnipeg Jets last Wednesday night. Most goaltenders who come into the NHL for the first time experience highs and lows, but damn, that is one very big high and one very big low.

Antoine Bibeau will back up Sparks tonight, and I imagine he’ll do the same on Wednesday unless Sparks struggles mightily again. Bibeau has himself struggled with the Marlies this year, currently holding an .869 SV% and a 3.64 GAA in ten games so far.