Leafs’ Matt Murray Works on Goaltending Drills Before Morning Skate The outlook on Ilya Samsonov’s injury is positive. The Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender was on the ice in full gear before the team held a morning skate in preparation of their game against the Vegas Golden Knights. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ubh9XLDAuzY[/embed] “He’s not full go or anything like that but the fact that he was on the ice today and feeling good enough to do that is an encouraging sign,” Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said of Samsonov. “The timeline is uncertain, we’ll call it week-to-week at this point.” The Russian goaltender injured his knee when trying to stop a penalty shot opportunity awarded to Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand on Saturday. The Leafs put Samsonov on injured reserve the following day and signed and subsequently called up Keith Petruzzelli, who will back up Erik Kallgren again when the Leafs host the Golden Knights on Tuesday. Signed to a one-year, $1.8 million contract by the Leafs this summer, Samsonov has started more games than expected after an adductor injury to Matt Murray in October sidelined Toronto’s other first-string goaltender. The 25-year-old Samsonsov has a steady 6-2-0 record with a .921 save percentage. As Samsonov recovers, Murray appears to be on the mend. He had full mobility during Toronto’s morning skate and is scheduled to be a full participant during the team’s schedule practice on Wednesday. Murray shared one of the nets with Petruzzelli during the skate as Kallgren prepared for his starting assignment on Tuesday.
