Samsonov falls to a .862 save percentage this season after a loss against Columbus on Friday.
Samsonov falls to a .862 save percentage this season after a loss against Columbus on Friday.
It's never a dull moment when the Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets face off against each other.
There were two stories for Toronto going into this game: Samsonov's play and Mark Giordano's return to the lineup following a broken finger, which he suffered in late November.
Giordano played 14:49 on Friday and had an 80.71 xGF% at five-on-five, according to NaturalStatTrick.com. A strong night for the 40-year-old.
Samsonov, however, would struggle throughout the three periods, and overtime.
Mitch Marner got the Maple Leafs started early. A strong backcheck from Matthew Knies would lead Johnny Gaudreau to turn the puck over to Toronto. Morgan Rielly and Marner would then play give-and-go up the ice before the forward put it home.
That's Marner's first goal in five games and 14th on the season, which is a similar goal-scoring pace to what he had last year.
Toronto needed to have a big defensive game, given how Samsonov has struggled as of late. They did that early, only allowing Columbus one shot in the first 10 minutes of the opening frame.
But after Timothy Liljegren took a tumble in his zone, Cole Sillinger would eventually get the puck and score on the Blue Jackets' second shot of the game.
Toronto continued to give life to themselves, though, as Auston Matthews continued his goal-scoring run this season. The 26-year-old used his signature drag and release, beating Elvis Merzlikins over the glove for his 29th goal of the year.
Marner drew two Blue Jackets to him before finding Matthews on the right side for the shot on goal.
Of Matthews' 29 goals this season, 21 have come at even strength, and he's tops of the league in that category.
Speaking of offence, one player that Maple Leafs head coach identified as needing to get their offensive game going was Nick Robertson. Going into Friday's game, the 22-year-old only had three goals in 21 games this season.
He added to that total against the Blue Jackets on Friday, though.
Robertson tipped home a Liljegren point shot for his fourth goal of the season, a tally that could give confidence to the 22-year-old as he weaves through his first healthy season in the NHL. It's a big goal, too, as it put Toronto up 3-1 over Columbus.
But as we know — in games that feature both these teams — no lead is safe. Ever.
Brendan Gaunce would find the back of the net as his shot would bounce off Samsonov's blocker, then his back, and into the net. An unlucky goal against, which began to unravel problems for the Maple Leafs.
William Nylander scored on the power play — just over five minutes later — extending his point streak to 13 games. It was a shot from the corner which bounced off Spencer Martin and into the net.
While that gave Toronto another extra step, putting them up 4-2, Nylander would, unfortunately, take a step too far later in the period, taking a hooking penalty with Calle Jarnkrok already in the box.
Dmitri Voronkov would tip a point shot past Samsonov, a power play goal for Columbus. A minute-and-a-half after that tally, Kent Johnson potted another as the Blue Jackets tied the game at four.
That's the fourth goal for Columbus on just 11 shots, which isn't promising for a goaltender who's struggling. He's allowed four or more goals in eight of 15 games this season.
However, as Toronto does, they kept pushing. Liljegren would draw a high-sticking penalty, and Nylander's shot on the power play gets deflected in front by John Tavares.
His 11th goal of the year puts the Maple Leafs up 5-4 with just 55 seconds left in the second period.
Toronto had a strong third period, though with 5:55 remaining, Adam Fantilli would tie the game, beating Samsonov over the glove as he allowed his fifth goal against on the night.
The game would go to overtime and Samsonov would make a few timely saves for Toronto.
But the Blue Jackets heard the cannon for the sixth time, with Gaudreau beating Samsonov, handing Toronto their second loss in three meetings with Columbus this season.
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