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Analysts react to Keefe's comments following Samsonov being pulled against Tampa

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Ryan Smitheram
November 8, 2023 (8:45)

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On October 21st, the Leafs played the Tampa Bay Lighting and Ilya Samsonov was pulled after giving up 3 goals on 4 shots, but with solid play in relief, Joseph Woll backstopped the Leafs to a 4-3 win in overtime. Following that game, Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe called out Samsonov's poor play and a couple of days later, prior to his start against Nashville, Samsonov admitted that he was not in a good place mentally.

On Monday, following another poor showing in the first period, Samsonov was pulled in favour of Woll again, who backstopped the Leafs to a 6-5 overtime win against the same Tampa Bay Lightning. When Keefe was asked about Samsonov's performance post-game this time, he took a different approach and defended the netminder.

"But you have confidence in that he has had nights like this � not just tonight but even last season � and he has responded. He played a tremendous game for us out in Boston. Let's focus more on that. Feel good about the fact that our team came back and got two points, so it is easier going home. Just get back to work."

Yesterday on Sportsnet's "The Real Kyper and Bourne" show, Nick Kypreos reacted to Keefe's change in demeanor.

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"He's really trying hard to protect him and you know he's a sensitive guy right now. That is clearly Sheldon saying I need to protect him and I can't argue that, at the same time, two weeks ago, you just can't let in three goals on four shots. Last night would have caused a similar reaction, but based on the understanding on where he is between the ears right now, it called for a pass," said Kypreos.

He continued by asking if it was the right move and also took a bit of a jab at Samsonov for the way he handled being pulled.

"It's a little bit of a slippery slope because if there are issues and his head isn't on straight," said Kypreos before cutting himself off. "The next question is are you helping him and hurting him here? Under normal circumstances if you're not dealing with someone that may have some issues, that's unacceptable. Sit down and be a pro (on Samsonov smashing helmet)."

Keefe is trying to find a middle ground with how to approach Samsonov right now, but Kypreos is fair to ask if Keefe flip-flopping on how he handles Samsonov could be more detrimental than beneficial to him. What isn't fair from Kypreos is to tell Samsonov to "sit down and be a pro" and calling the helmet smash "unacceptable". When the Ottawa Senators pulled Joonas Korpisalo the other night and he threw his blocker down the tunnel, Kypreos didn't say anything about that. I don't know about you, but I would rather see a guy break a stick or something than just take his stuff off and act like nothing happened. At least you know he cares. Either way, hopefully Samsonov is able to figure things out, but it might be time to give Woll a string of starts to let Samsonov take his time in fixing the details of his game

Previously on MapleLeafsDaily

What a Jack Campbell buyout would look like for the Oilers this summer

Matthew Knies and Joseph Woll have shredded Tampa in their young careers and the numbers back it up

Former Leafs forward talks about Leaf fans destroying players' confidence in Toronto

POLL
8 NOVEMBRE \| 318 ANSWERS Analysts react to Keefe's comments following Samsonov being pulled against Tampa Does Woll need to carry the load of starts for the Leafs right now to let Samsonov figure things out?
Yes	257	80.8 %
No, use them both	61	19.2 %
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