Ilya Samsonov will start in goal against the Anaheim Ducks as both he and Matt Murray will alternate in goal over a four-game stretch for the first time this season.
Ilya Samsonov has been given the nod to get the net when the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.
Although goaltender Matt Murray has made consecutive appearances since Samsonov returned from a knee injury on Nov. 30, that pattern appears to have ended.
"He's played really well and he deserves it, I think that's the biggest thing," Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said about his goaltending decision.
Samsonov is 8-2-0 this season and has posted a .933 save percentage. He missed over three weeks of action due to a knee injury sustained in early November and hasn't skipped a beat, allowing just one goal in his last two starts.
When the Russian goaltender returned from injury on Nov. 30, Keefe went back to Murray for consecutive starts in goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Dallas Stars.
But following a 5-4 overtime victory against the Calgary Flames where Murray allowed four goals on 26 shots, that pattern has ended.
"We're going to have both goalies involved, that's really it," Keefe said. "I don't think you are going to see a situation with us where you see any one guy go on any sort of extended run, particularly the way they've played. I think both deserve the net and that allows us to manage the workload."
"We have great confidence in both guys and have given us the ability to win games. So with that being the case, we don't see any need to lean too heavily on any one guy.
At the current rate, if alternative goalies hold for the remainder of the week, it would allow Samsonov to get the start on Saturday against the Washington Capitals. That would mark the 25-year-old's return to Capital One Arena for the first time since the club walked away from the goaltender's rights by not tendering him a qualifying offer.
"You're always looking at the schedule and how things are. but I think Ilya certainly deserves the opportunity to get back in here right away," Keefe said.
By splitting the goalies as the Leafs have, it's the truest sign of a tandem situation the Leafs have had. Of course, things can change on a moment's notice based on performance and injuries.
Murray missed a month of action with an adductor injury back in October.