Ilya Samsonov puts in the final work before his return to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ lineup after a knee injury. It’s been a long wait but Ilya Samsonov will be back in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ crease when they host the San Jose Sharks at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday. “I’m really happy to be back, it’s really important for me,” the goaltender said after practice on Tuesday. Samsonov said the last few days that he had experienced no pain in his knee. The goaltender was injured on Nov. 5 while trying to defend a penalty shot from Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand. The goaltender stayed in the game until the start of the third period when Erik Kallgren played the rest of the way. “On the next attack [after the penalty shot] I felt my knee was not moving great,” Samsonov said. “The doctors checked and they said ‘no more’”. There was initial optimism that Samsonov’s inury wasn’t too serious when the goaltender showed up in full equipment on the ice just days he was hurt. But he ended up missing over three weeks with the injury. He joined the Leafs for their most recent road trip to practice with the club. The 25-year-old goaltender performed well before he was injured. He posted a 4-2-0 record and a .921 save percentage and helped the Leafs carry the load in goal at a time when Matt Murray was unavailable to the team with an adductor injury. “It’s just life,” Samsonov said when asked about his poor luck and timing. “I need to stay professional. I think I feel good right now.” Samsonov is back . And with Joseph Woll now playing games with the Toronto Marlies after shoulder and ankle injuries kept him out for months, Toronto’s goaltending is the healthiest it has been for quite some time. Matt Murray has performed well in Samsonov’s absence and posted a 5-0-1 record with a .938 save percentage. The Maple Leafs signed Samsonov to a one-year, $1.8 million contract this summer after the goaltender was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Washington Capitals.’
