After allowing five goals on 19 shots, it's clear Ilya Samsonov's career has hit a low point. But given the constraints, they don't have much of a choice but to help him.
After allowing five goals on 19 shots, it's clear Ilya Samsonov's career has hit a low point. But given the constraints, they don't have much of a choice but to help him.
BUFFALO — From the moment that Ilya Samsonov allowed Buffalo Sabres forward Jordan Greenway's shot from a distance to sneak in underneath him, you just had the feeling it was going to be another long night for the Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender.
Making his first start in a week, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe decided to go with his Russian goalie over Martin Jones, who had filled in nicely in his four appearances with Toronto this season.
"We've got to get him going," Keefe said of his decision to start Samsonov.
Heading south was not the direction the Leafs were anticipating.
Samsonov allowed five goals on 19 shots before being pulled in the second period for Jones in a 9-3 loss to the Sabres at KeyBank Center on Thursday. The 26-year-old looked out of sorts from the very beginning. The Maple Leafs spotted their goalie a lead after Greenway's goal thanks to Auston Matthews' league-leading 26th goal and Max Domi's third of the year. But Buffalo's Owen Power tied the game on a goal where Samsonov completely lost his net while defending a 2-on-1.
There wasn't much Samsonov could do on Buffalo's third and fourth goal. Jeff Skinner, who made his return from an upper-body injury, scored the first of his two goals by picking up a puck deep in Toronto's zone off a turnover from Mitch Marner. Rasmus Dahlin followed that up with a 5-on-3 goal that gave Buffalo a 4-2 lead. After Calle Jarnkrok got one back for Toronto while the team was shorthanded, Samsonov was chased out of the game when he let a harmless-looking shot get under his glove and into the net.
"It’s tough right now the last couple of games. I need to figure out everything in my head," Samsonov said after the game. "That’s what I’m seeing and I just need to figure that out."
It's been a rough season for Samsonov, who hasn't put together a stretch of games this season that remotely resembles the goaltender from last season. The goaltender who posted a .919 save percentage in 2022-23. The goaltender who helped the Leafs win their first playoff round in 19 years last spring by defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"I don’t feel different (than last year)," Samsonov reasoned. "Just about mental stuff."
Not helping matters was the fact that the Leafs put forth their worst effort of the season in front of him.
"There’s no really no excuses, no pinpointing the blame on any one individual," Matthews said. "I think just collectively, probably one of the worst games since I've been here."
According to NaturalStatTrick.com, the Leafs had a 5-on-5 score and venue-adjusted expected goals of 31 percent, their lowest goals share of the season. Outside of a mild pushback in the first few minutes of the third period, the Leafs were bad throughout.
Jones didn't fare much better in relief. He gave up some questionable goals himself, making just 11 saves on 15 shots.
It's hard to say if having Joseph Woll would have helped the team on a night like this where everything was bad all around. The rookie goaltender has performed well this season with an 8-5-1 record and .916 save percentage, but he is out for the foreseeable future after sustaining a high-ankle sprain on Dec. 7 against the Ottawa Senators.
And right now the Leafs are stuck. They could ride Jones for the next little while, but for better or worse, they have to work with Samsonov to get his game back.
Keefe understands this, which is why he was quick to dismiss the word 'concern' about Samsonov's admitted poor mental state.
"You guys always bring up the word concern, it’s not the right way to frame it," Keefe said. "We need to be very aware of it. We need to help him through this."
There is a goaltending crisis around the NHL with injuries all around. The Leafs don't have any NHL-ready options after Jones. Dennis Hildeby is performing well in the AHL but it's his first season in North America and they would ideally like to keep him with the Marlies. In 12 games, the Swedish goaltender is 7-3-2 with a .927 save percentage.
The Leafs are also lacking cap space.
Would a conditioning stint with the Marlies help Samsonov? The Leafs have the holiday break coming up following their game against the Blue Jackets on Saturday. The Marlies have a game against Belleville on the 26th while the Leafs are off. The player would have to agree to it and it might be a hard sell.
But with an .871 saver percentage in 14 games this season, something has to give.
"I want to try to change as quick as I can, but sometimes in life, it’s not working like that," Samsonov said.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyTV4cdW4ss[/embed]
Related
Ilya Samsonov and Martin Jones Combine for Nine Goals Against in Maple Leafs' Messy Loss to Sabres
News from THN.com
THN Archive: Star Defenseman Larry Murphy Never Appreciated Enough By Maple Leafs
Can the Vancouver Canucks and Philadelphia Flyers Stay Hot?
2024 World Juniors: One Player to Watch for Almost Every NHL Team in the West