Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Set to start Wednesday
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Samsonov (personal) is expected to start at home against Florida on Wednesday.
Samsonov, who was away from the team to be present for the birth of his child, was last in net March 21 for Toronto's 7-2 loss to the Islanders. He surrendered six goals on 28 shots in that contest. Although he struggled in that outing, Samsonov is having a great campaign overall with a 24-9-3 record, 2.46 GAA and .914 save percentage in 36 appearances. Florida is tied for the fifth-rank offensively with 3.45 goals per game.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Spotted at practice
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Samsonov (personal) returned to practice Tuesday, David Alter of Sports Illustrated reports.
Samsonov has been away from the team for the past week to be present for the birth of his child, but he should be available for Wednesday's matchup with the Panthers. The 26-year-old goaltender has gone 24-9-3 while posting a 2.46 GAA and a .914 save percentage through 36 appearances this season.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Leaving team for rest of trip
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Samsonov (personal) will be away from the Maple Leafs for the remainder of their road trip, David Alter of Sports Illustrated reports.
Samsonov will practice Wednesday before returning to Toronto to await the birth of his child. The 26-year-old struggled Tuesday, allowing six goals on 28 shots in a 7-2 loss to the Islanders. If he remains away from the team as planned, he won't be available until March 29 versus the Panthers.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Slated to start versus Isles
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Samsonov (undisclosed) is expected to get the starting nod against the Islanders on Tuesday, David Alter of SI.com reports.
It should be noted that head coach Sheldon Keefe may be forced into a change depending on the potential arrival of Samsonov's child but for now, he has been named as the starter. With both Samsonov and Matt Murray available, the Leafs will likely split the workload between the two goalies, with the starting gig for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs likely in the air.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Unavailable Saturday
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Samsonov (undisclosed) won't dress for Saturday's contest in Ottawa.
Samsonov has been dealing with some minor injuries, per coach Sheldon Keefe, and will get the night off Saturday. Matt Murray will likely get the start against the Senators, with Joseph Woll serving as the backup.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: New career high in wins
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Samsonov made 32 saves in Friday's 5-2 win over the Hurricanes.
Toronto never trailed in the game, as the Leafs spotted Samsonov a two-goal cushion in the first period and he never looked back. The netminder has only one regulation loss in his last seven starts, going 5-1-1 with a 2.26 GAA and .925 save percentage, and the hot streak has carried him up to 24 wins on the season to establish a new career high.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Facing Hurricanes
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Samsonov will be between the home pipes versus Carolina on Friday, Terry Koshan of The Toronto Sun reports.
Samsonov has been great at home this season, going 17-2-2 with a 1.95 GAA and .928 save percentage. Overall, Samsonov is 23-8-3 with a 2.36 GAA and .916 save percentage. He will take on the Hurricanes, who have 96 points this season, second in the overall NHL standings.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Little help in shootout loss
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Samsonov stopped 28 of 29 shots through overtime in Wednesday's 2-1 shootout loss to the Avalanche.
Morgan Rielly opened the scoring, but Samsonov got no help from his teammates the rest of the way, as Toronto mustered only 18 shots on goal. Samsonov did well to limit the damage to a Mikko Rantanen power-play goal, but Nathan MacKinnon got one by him in the shootout, which was enough to drop the Russian netminder's home record to 17-2-2. He's added a 6-6-1 mark on the road for an overall record of 23-8-3
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Facing Avalanche
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Samsonov will patrol the home crease versus Colorado on Wednesday, Mike Stephens of SI Now reports.
Samsonov was decent in his last start March 7 versus the Devils, stopping 30 of 33 shots en route to a 4-3 victory. He'll try to secure a second straight win in a matchup with a surging Avalanche team that's won three of its last four contests, racking up 19 goals over that span.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Allows three in win
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Samsonov stopped 30 of 33 shots, leading the Maple Leafs to a 4-3 win over the Devils on Tuesday.
After allowing just one goal through two periods, Samsonov coughed up two goals in three minutes in the third period but shut the door after to give the Maple Leafs a 4-3 win. This win gives Samsonov four wins in his last five games after coming off a terrific month of February where he posted a 5-2-0 record with a 2.29 GAA and a .920 save percentage. The former Capital should split the net with Matt Murray moving forward.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Exits ice first Tuesday
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Samsonov was the first goalie to leave the ice Tuesday, David Alter of Sports Illustrated reports, indicating he'll tend the twine on the road versus New Jersey.
Samsonov went 3-2-0 in his last five outings in which he posted a 2.81 GAA. In 12 road clashes this year, the netminder is 5-6-1 with a .899 save percentage, well off the pace of his home record where he is 17-2-1. Fortunately for Samsonov, even if he struggles Tuesday, the Leafs follow that up with a four-game home stand where he should be capable of getting back on track.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Starting in Edmonton
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Samsonov is slated to start between the pipes in Wednesday's road game versus the Oilers, David Alter of Sports Illustrated reports.
Samsonov has been on a roll recently, picking up three straight wins while posting an impressive 1.66 GAA and .940 save percentage. He'll try to pick up his 23rd victory of the year in a road matchup with an Edmonton team that's averaging 3.65 goals per game at home this campaign, fifth in the NHL.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Gets plenty of help in win
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Samsonov stopped 26 of 27 shots in Sunday's 5-1 win over the Kraken.
Samsonov gave up a goal to Vince Dunn in the slot in the first period, but that was it. The Maple Leafs quickly took over and cruised to the win, which was the 26-year-old's fifth in his last six outings. Samsonov is up to 22-7-2 with a 2.30 GAA and a .918 save percentage through 31 contests. Toronto's road trip continues with a back-to-back in Alberta -- the Leafs visit the Oilers on Wednesday and the Flames on Thursday.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Guarding cage Sunday
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Samsonov will get the starting nod in Seattle on Sunday, David Alter of Sports Illustrated reports.
Samsonov has won four of his last five outings, posting a strong .930 save percentage during that span. He's gone 21-7-2 with a 2.35 GAA through 30 games this season. However, he's struggled on the road, with a 3.01 GAA and an .899 save percentage in 10 appearances.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Sharp in OT win
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Samsonov turned aside 24 shots in Friday's 2-1 overtime win over the Wild.
The only shot to get past him was a bit of a fluke, as Brandon Duhaime grabbed a loose puck behind the Toronto net, banked it off Calle Jarnkrok's skate and found a gap between Samsonov and the post. The 26-year-old netminder has started five of seven games since the All-Star break, going 4-1-0 with a 2.01 GAA and .930 save percentage, but with Matt Murray (ankle) returning to practice this weekend, Samsonov could soon get a little more help in the crease.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Starting versus Minnesota
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Samsonov will be defending the home crease versus Minnesota on Friday, Lance Hornby of The Toronto Sun reports.
Samsonov has been sensational at home, going 16-2-1 with a 2.06 GAA and .924 save percentage. He is 20-7-2 with a 2.40 GAA and .915 save percentage overall this season after stopping 29 shots in a 6-3 win in Buffalo on Tuesday. Samsonov will face the Wild, who are 26th in NHL scoring, averaging 2.85 goals per game.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Wins despite rocky third period
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Samsonov saved 29 of 32 shots in a 6-3 win over Buffalo on Tuesday.
Samsonov was perfect through two periods, but he surrendered three goals on 13 shots in the third frame. Still, Toronto had a terrific night offensively, and Samsonov got the win. He's 20-7-2 with a 2.40 GAA and a .915 save percentage in 29 contests this season. The 25-year-old has allowed seven goals on 59 shots over his last two starts.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Set to face Sabres
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Samsonov was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate, David Alter of Sports Illustrated reports, indicating he will start in Buffalo on Tuesday.
Samsonov returned to action Sunday against Chicago from a stomach bug and surrendered four goals on 27 shots in a 5-3 loss. He has a 19-7-2 record this season with a 2.38 GAA and a .915 save percentage in 28 appearances. The Sabres rank third in the league this campaign with 3.70 goals per game.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Back in action Sunday
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Samsonov (illness) will get the starting nod in Chicago on Sunday, David Alter of Sports Illustrated reports.
Samsonov was unavailable Saturday against Montreal, but he limited his absence to just one game. The 25-year-old netminder is 8-3-2 with a 2.43 GAA since the start of January. He stopped 27 of 29 shots in a win over Chicago on Wednesday. Samsonov has posted a 2.88 GAA on the road compared to a 2.06 GAA at home this season.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Not in Saturday's lineup
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Samsonov (illness) will not dress versus Montreal on Saturday, Terry Koshan of The Toronto Sun reports.
Samsonov missed practice Friday with the illness, forcing the Maple Leafs to recall Erik Kallgren on an emergency basis Saturday. Coach Sheldon Keefe remains hopeful that Samsonov will be able to start in Chicago on Sunday. Samsonov is 19-6-2 with a 2.31 GAA and .918 save percentage this season.
