from Luke Fox of Sportsnet,

If Garret Sparks stands in the crease again during the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 2018-19 campaign, it means something has gone awry.

Toronto’s 4-1 loss Tuesday to a Carolina Hurricanes franchise that needed the two points infinitely more than pretty much every Leaf — except, possibly, for Sparks — will be the last scheduled start for Frederik Andersen’s understudy, and he fumbled a couple of his lines....

Late in the first period, Carolina running through one of its epic, grinding cycles, Justin Williams only had one hand on his stick as he swatted the puck along the ice from behind the Leafs’ goal line and toward Sparks’ boots.

Somehow, from the gaudiest of angles, it clicked off the goalie’s skate blade and in.

“It just kind of came to the wrong spot, exactly where I didn’t need it to go. I don’t know,” Sparks lamented after the seventh Toronto loss in his past eight appearances. “It’s not even a situation where you’re typically down because the puck is behind the net. It’s just a tough bounce.”

Ditto the next one, a power-play rebound marker from defenceman Dougie Hamilton that he, too, whacked from behind the cage, off Sparks’ leg and in.

“I saw his pad off the net and tried to sneak it behind him. It bounced off his pad and in,” Hamilton shrugged. “Good bounce.”

Well, depending on your point of view....

“I’ll be ready next year. I’ll be ready if anything happens,” promised Sparks, whose desire and work ethic aren’t the issue here.

“This year isn’t over for me. I’m still going to be a big part of this team going down the stretch, and I’ll push guys every day to be better and be a good teammate. That’s all you can do.

“Support Fred.”

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