Samsonov was chased from the net in the second period Thursday after yielding four goals on 19 shots in an eventual 7-3 loss to Toronto.
He was replaced by Vitek Vanecek. Samsonov had been decent over his last three starts, going 3-0-0 with eight goals allowed. But he was at the mercy of a buzzing Leafs' squad on Tuesday that rolled over him and the Caps like unrelenting waves. Samsonov still has a chance to play in the post season, but he will need to sharpen his focus to earn that.