Ilya Samsonov has played some excellent hockey for the Leafs this season, but even the top guys have an off-night every now and again. Unfortunately for Samsonov, this off night happened to occur in Game 1 of the 2nd round of the playoffs.
Samsonov is a huge reason why the Leafs finished 4th in the overall standings this season and he was very arguably the MVP in the Leafs' series against Tampa, making a number of high-danger saves at key moments in Games 3-6 to help keep his team in every last one of those games - especially in Games 3, 4 and 6, giving the Leafs life and allowing them the opportunity to steal 3 games in overtime.
Last night, however, just wasn't Sammy's night. It was a rough one for the 25-year-old netminder, but, thankfully, Samsonov has often rebounded nicely after a tough outing, stealing a number of games following a night on which he had struggled.
After getting absolutely shelled in Game 1 against Tampa last series, Samsonov backstopped the Leafs to a 7-2 win over the Lightning in Game 2. The Leafs are hoping for a similar result from Game 2 in this series. The two Atlantic Division clubs are back at it tomorrow night before having 3 days off between games, with Game 3 not expected to take place until Sunday evening in Sunrise.
