'It's Huge For Me, A Long Time I Didn't Feel This': Ilya Samsonov Picks Up First Victory With Maple Leafs Since Being Placed on Waivers Three Weeks Ago
The Russian goaltender has put a focus on staying in the moment and had to be sharp in helping his team defeat the Seattle Kraken.
SEATTLE — There was something a little different about Ilya Samsonov when he met with reporters following his first win in 44 days.
"Maybe after the game not a lot of emotion but I’m so excited," he said following a 16-save performance in a 3-1 victory against the Seattle Kraken.
Over the last three weeks, Samsonov went through the humbling experience of going on waivers as the goaltender struggled mightily this season. After clearing that process and having him assigned to the Toronto Marlies as part of a physical and mental reset, the Maple Leafs slowly began integrating him back in when they called him back up to the roster on Jan. 10.
What did they want from their goaltender upon his return?
"Just stay in the moment. Stay in the moment and help the team for the win," He explained. "From October until two weeks ago it was probably the hardest in my life. But life is moving forward. I’m staying positive. I kind of forgot about what was going on in the past. Just focused on today and focused on the moment. Day-by-day."
Samsonov showed signs of returning to form in his 4-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Jan. 14 with Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe saying he felt the goaltender "battled his ass off".
But he was still missing a win.
On Sunday, Samsonov was the reason for his team's victory. Although not tested often, the quality of the chances from Seattles were of a difficult variety including a Justin Schultz wrister. The goaltender had to cut across and stack out to the left pad, denying the Seattle defending a wide-open look at the net.
"He was our best player tonight," Maple Leafs forward Max Domi said of Samsonov. "He made some unbelievable saves when he had to. Sammy kept us in it and Sammy won us that game tonight."
Losers of five out of their last six games, playing on the tail end of back-to-back at the end of a four-game road trip isn't an easy assignment for a goaltender, let alone one who has been struggling.
Before the game, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said he saw signs that Samsonov was in a better mental place over the last week and that he was "hungry to get the net".
Perhaps all Samsonov needed was just a good rest and some time away.
"It helped for me for a couple of games to take a step back for moving forward. It was really important for me, being a really bad spot, especially mentally," Samsonov said. "But I’m good right now."
And the Maple Leafs need him to be.
With Joseph Woll out with a high-ankle injury since Dec. 7, the Maple Leafs learned hard on Martin Jones, including one instance where the club started him on consecutive nights in California rather than giving an opportunity to 22-year-old Swedish goaltending prospect Dennis Hildeby.
On Saturday, Jones allowed six goal on 21 shots in a 6-4 loss to the Vancouver Canucks in perhaps the first sign that maybe they had been leaning a bit too hard on their Nol 3 goaltending option
"To his credit, he’s done unbelievable stuff behind the scenes that you guys will never know of or see," Domi said of Samsonov. "[He] works his ass off. He’s a great teammate. He’s super positive. That’ how you get rewarded."
Following Sunday's win, Auston Matthews handed Samsonov the belt, the club's player-of-game award handed out by the player who won it in the last victory.
"The way he played and the way he battled for us and competed when we needed him to make those big-time saves, I’m really proud of him," Matthews said of Samsonov.
Is two games enough to declare Samsonov back? It's hard to say.
With two games remaining on the schedule before the team gets a break as part of the NHL-mandated bye week, it wouldn't be unfair to suggest Samsonov has earned at least one more start between now and then.
"Tremendous job by him, really happy for him," Keefe said of Samsonov. "Obviously it’s been a tough road for him but he’s worked extremely hard."
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