Ilya Samsonov puts in the final work before his return to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ lineup after a knee injury. Ilya Samsonov will put his perfect home record on the line when the Toronto Maple Leafs host the St. Louis Blues to kick off the 2023 portion of their regular season. Samsonov got the nod in goal after Matt Murray started the last couple of games for the Maple Leafs. The 25-year-old is coming off a victory against the same Blues team the Leafs saw on the road last week. However, the goaltender has struggled to recapture the form that saw him lead the NHL in save percentage. Samsonov has posted save percentages of .821, .841, and .822 in his last three starts respectively. The goaltender tied the franchise record for most wins at home to start a season by improving to 9-0-0 following a 4-3 win against the Philadelphia Flyers at Scotiabank Arena on Dec. 22. The Blues are without forwards Ryan O'Reilly (broken foot) and Vladimir Tarasenko (hand injury)
