The differences lie in Maple Leafs goalie coach Curtis Sanford’s technique and how the team practices.

NEW YORK — Ilya Samsonov entered the last couple of days as the NHL’s top goaltender via save percentage (.939) following his 7-0 shutout performance against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.

He’s only played in 11 games this season, mostly due to a knee injury that sidelined the Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender for nearly a month. But he’s been sharp when called upon and has shown no signs of letting up.

So what has allowed the Russian goaltender to put up career-high numbers? 

It all comes down to preparation.

“We’re doing everything, reaction, mental stuff, how I feel after the games,” Samsonov told SI.com. “How your mental game is. How you see the puck with your eyes is really important right now.”

Samsonov joined the Maple Leafs after a signing a one-year contract worth $1.8 million in July. The deal took place a couple of days after his former team, the Washington Capitals, elected not to tender the 25-year-old a qualifying offer to retain his rights.

The change of scenery has allowed for Samsonov to take a different approach, from off-ice training to participation in practice.

The Maple Leafs hired Curtis Sanford a few weeks before Samsonov signed with Toronto. The two began working immediately to help hone in on the goaltender’s technique and it’s carried over to a different approach for the goaltender during the regular season.

Before the Maple Leafs begin a typical practice, Sandford is usually working with Samsonov and Matt Murray (acquired by the Maple Leafs in July) working on the reverse-VH, the most widely used stance to help a goaltender recover their positioning along the posts.

“The reality is if you feel bad in the reverse VH then you just feel bad,” Samsonov explained. “And just how you prepare for shots. If you lose the post, you need (to be) quick back to the post.”

With Samsonov and Murray working in a true tandem situation, the challenge for both is staying game ready. While some teams, like in Washington, would rather goaltenders mostly due separate work away from team practices with the exception of some drills. The Maple Leafs use their main goaltenders for a lot of situational drills that not only help the players, but goalies, too.

“If you’re doing just straight shots, it’s not helpful,” Samsonov said. “Here we’re doing a lot of 3-on-2, or 2-on-1 drills. The in-zone stuff, it really helps me. It’s especially important for the times you don’t play, you can feel your game all of the time. This is what I needed. This is what I was doing in Russia and what I did my first season in Washington.”

It also explains why Samsonov showed no signs of rust  from a knee injury he sustained on Nov. 5 against the Boston Bruins. He was seen in full equipment just days after the injury and continued to get sessions in with the team, even though he didn’t get into the lineup until Nov. 30.

On Saturday, Samsonov will get a chance to visit his old home when he and the Leafs visit the Capitals at Capital One Arena. He took lessons from goaltending coach Scott Murray who stressed time on taking a stand-up position and making yourself look big in goal. 

But in Toronto, his game has changed.

“With Scotty, he’s more about playing with my feet and using my size, you know it was a little bit of a different game,” Samsonov said. “Here in some situations I need to stay in the butterfly for a little bit longer more than I was using before. It’s a little bit of a different game for me right now.”

In addition to the stuff off the ice, Samsonov was introduced to light reaction therapy by Maple Leafs Sports Scientist Sachin Raina. As far as the puck tracking and using the eyes go, Samsonov along with Murray, used Swivel Vision goggles to help in tracking the puck.

When asked if it helped, Samsonov used his infectious sense of humor to answer.

“Who knows, I guess we’ll see in June.”