Samsonov picks up his first shutout since April 1 of last season against the Ottawa Senators.
Toronto might not have got Shohei Ohtani, but they did get a Maple Leafs win on Saturday night.
It was all about Ilya Samsonov Saturday morning as he was making his first start for the Maple Leafs since Nov. 24 in Chicago. He's been dealing with an illness throughout the past week has missed the last two games for Toronto.
Though now with Joseph Woll out week-to-week with a high ankle sprain, it's allowed Samsonov to get the net after returning to full health.
On the other side of the hallway, it was the first return to Toronto for Ryan O'Reilly and Luke Schenn. Both were a major part of the Maple Leafs' playoff run last spring before leaving in free agency.
"Getting the chance to come back the second time around, I mean, that was a dream come true," Schenn said on Saturday morning.
Not much happened throughout the first half of the game. Toronto had more of the offensive zone time, getting several scoring chances, but Kevin Lankinen was coming up big for Nashville.
Eventually, Toronto found of the back of the net in the middle frame. They had two goals in that period, from David Kampf and Auston Matthews. It was a great game for the Maple Leafs overall, though, as they dominated possession for a good chunk of the game.
Matthews would add another in the third period and Noah Gregor would find the empty net while shorthanded. Here are a few observations from Toronto's 4-0 win in O'Reilly and Schenn's return to the city.
David Kampf with goals in back-to-back games
The 28-year-old got the Maple Leafs on the board first during Saturday's game against Nashville. It might've been his best goal with Toronto, too. Kampf split the defense and squeezed through before beating Lankinen over the shoulder for the goal.
It was a great setup from Conor Timmins who found Kampf moving up-ice. The 28-year-old now has goals in two-straight games. He scored during the during the second period in Ottawa as well. That's now three goals on the season for Kampf.
The 28-year-old had five shots in the game, making it the second time this season that he's had that many shots on goal.
But it wasn't just Kampf who had a good game. The Maple Leafs' entire fourth line of he, Noah Gregor, and Ryan Reaves spent plenty of time in the offensive zone. Reaves, in particular, was all around the puck.
Gregor, too, had a shorthanded empty netter to put the Maple Leafs up 4-0 late in the third period.
The line finished with a stellar 98.32 xGF% at five-on-five against the Predators, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
Auston Matthews finds the back of the net twice
Toronto's second goal of the game came off the stick of Matthews in what was an exceptional play. William Nylander threw the puck in front and it went off Roman Josi's stick before Matthews smacked it in himself.
What stands out about the goal is the patience by Matthews. If you watch the goal back, Matthews doesn't touch the puck until it comes to him. It's quite an impressive goal from the 26-year-old, though it's not surprising that it comes from him.
Late in the third period, Matthews got on the board again during a Toronto power play. Another pass by Nylander, but this time it makes it clean onto the 26-year-old's stick and he puts it through Lankinen's five hole.
That's Matthews' 17th and 18th in 24 games this season, tying him for the league lead in goals. John Tavares picks up an assist on Matthews' goal, putting him two points away from 1000.
Ilya Samsonov has big game
If there was any player who wanted to have a big game on Saturday, it was Samsonov. And he delivered.
The 28-year-old didn't allow a goal against the Predators, giving him his first shutout of the season. That's likely a massive boost of confidence for Samsonov, who hasn't had the best start to the year with Toronto.
It's the 26-year-old's first shutout of the season. His last shutout came against the Ottawa Senators on April 1. It's Samsonov's fifth win through 11 games this season.
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