Scrivens ready if called
If Ben Scrivens plays in goal Saturday night against the Boston Bruins, you can be absolutely certain that his Grandma Sharon will be the first to know.
You see, she was a bit upset with her grandson when he told reporters how his parents were his No. 1 fans.
“She left me a really funny voice mail . . . she said she was kind of hurt because she always thought she was my biggest fan,” Scrivens, 25, said on Friday after practice at the MasterCard Centre. “I guess there’s a competition going on back home over who’s my biggest fan.”
Scrivens was solid in his NHL debut on Thursday in Columbus where the league leading Leafs defeated the Blue Jackets 4-1.
It might just have been the best goaltending performance of the season for the 9-3-1 Toronto club. The goalie from Spruce Grove, Alta. Stopped 38 of the 39 shots fired by the Blue Jackets.
Whether he gets a second start, only coach Ron Wilson, knows for sure and he wasn’t spilling any secrets after practice. The only thing for certain is that Leafs No. 1 goalie, James Reimer, won’t be playing and also won’t be dressing as a back-up against the defending Stanley Cup champions. He’s still recovering from concussion-like symptoms (neck injury) and didn’t skate at practice.
“We haven’t decided (who’s going to play goal),” Wilson said after practice. “Reimer hit a plateau in his recovery so we’ve decided it would be better to not ask him to go onto the ice. With the other two goalies playing well, it’s better for him to work off the ice.
“We’ve got healthy guys, who are doing the job. We’ll give James plenty of time to recover. There is no rush to bring him back.”
Scrivens didn’t find out he was starting against Columbus until the pre-game skate. He hasn’t been told if he’ll get a second consecutive start or whether he’ll be backing up Jonas Gustavsson, who lost 6-2 when Toronto visited Boston earlier this season.
“I’m not too sure . . . it’s not my job to worry,” Scrivens said. “I’m just happy to be practicing out there, especially of not being sure what was going on the last couple of weeks. I’m just happy to still be up with the big club.
“I was happy with the way I played (against Columbus). You never have a perfect game. I definitely made some mistakes but they were manageable. Hopefully I can correct them if I get in again . . . I’m not looking too far ahead. I’m just trying to win games for us.”
Scrivens managed to call his parents after his victory when he got back to Toronto.
“They’re two hours behind but a bit of a party was going on there,” Scrivens said. “I got a lot of text messages. Everybody was telling me how proud they were of me. I was really happy I could play well for them (parents)”
Both defencemen Dion Phaneuf and John-Michael Liles were amazed by how calm and cool Scrivens was in his first regular NHL start.
“Having played in front of a few young goalies over the years, he’s the calmnest I’ve seen,” Liles said. “He didn’t seem to be fazed. He communicated with the defence very well. That was huge. He was able to direct traffic for defencemen he hadn’t played for before.”
Phaneuf said Scrivens played as if he had been in the league for a long time.
“The biggest thing I noticed was how calm he was before the game in the hotel before the game,” Phaneuf said. “He definitely wasn’t uptight. He carries himself with a great demeanor. He’s been great to have up here. He’s been awesome in our locker room and has really fit in well with our team.”
For Scrivens, being calm and cool, has always been part of his make up.
“My parents instilled that in me at a young age and I’m kind of taking all of this in stride,” Scrivens said. “I like to think I’m fairly grounded. I’m also not that young. I’m 25. I played four years of college. I think I’ve figured out what I need to do to be successful,” Scrivens said. “Some nights it will work. Some nights it won’t. You have to be confident in your game.”
http://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/article/1081829--scrivens-ready-if-called