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    David Alter
    David Alter
    Oct 6, 2023, 18:17

    Toronto's starting goaltender left practice early after taking a shot to the upper body from teammate Calle Jarnkrok.

    Toronto's starting goaltender left practice early after taking a shot to the upper body from teammate Calle Jarnkrok.

    Ilya Samsonov appears to have avoided injury after departing practice early on Friday.

    The Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender was stopping pucks during the session when a shot from teammate Calle Jarnkrok got him high. The Russian netminder quickly went to the bench as trainers tended to him for several minutes. But it appeared not to be a serious situation as the goalie made his way to the dressing room without any assistance.

    "He's fine," Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said of Samsonov.

    Toronto's presumptive starting goalie for the regular season, Samsonov struggled to find a rhythm in his team's 4-3 overtime win against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday. At times, he appeared to lose focus by coming out to play pucks and committing turnovers that led to goals.

    "He didn't get tested a lot but there are some things we want to get him to tighten up on for sure," Keefe said of his assessment of Samsonov.

    Samsonov doesn't have much to prove this season after a stellar first year in Toronto. He posted a .919 save percentage last season and earned an arbitration award of $3.55 million last season, resulting in a 94.5 percent raise in his salary. But there are durability questions around the goaltender and high hopes for goaltender Joseph Woll, who will be counted on by management to take a significant leap as a potential backup or tandem option in goal.

    But the good news is that whatever pain Samsonov dealt with at practice wasn't serious.

    "I didn't see him after but heard through some of the guys that he was ok," Maple Leafs captain John Tavares said of Samsonov.

    The Maple Leafs have one more pre-season game on Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings. Woll will be expected to play the whole game at Little Ceasars Arena before the regular season gets going on Oct. 11 at home against the Montreal Canadiens.

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