Ilya Samsonov confirms something that we suspected following loss to Nashville
When Ilya Samsonov allowed 3 goals on 4 shots in Tampa last weekend and got the hook from Sheldon Keefe in favour of Joseph Woll, we saw Sammy remove his Curtis Joseph-themed goalie mask. Little did we know that it might be the last time we see it.
During the week, Samsonov was spotted at practice donning his old mask from last season - a season in which he performed much more amicably than he has this year. Obviously, with goalies being superstitious creatures, sometimes switching a single piece of equipment can be enough to replenish his confidence. It appears as though Samsonov's confidence is beginning to return, so whether the mask change was the catalyst or not may be irrelevant to us, but it's very relevant to Sammy.
Following his bounce-back performance in Nashville, allowing just 2 goals in regulation, Samsonov confirmed that we won't see his CuJo-themed mask again this season.
Hey man - whatever he's comfortable with. If Samsonov can return to the same form that he showed us last season, I don't care if he swaps to a plain white mask, like the one Patrick Roy wore when he first arrived in Colorado all those years ago. Hell - he can wear a paint can with eye-hole cutouts if it means returning to the .919 SV% he was sporting last season.
If Samsonov can return to form and Woll can maintain his calm, cool demeanor out there, the Leafs are going to have one hell of a formidable tandem this year, regardless of how Keefe chooses to deploy them.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 29 | 454 ANSWERS Ilya Samsonov confirms something that we suspected following loss to Nashville Do you think we'll see the CuJo-themed mask again at some point this season? | ||
| Yes | 69 | 15.2 % |
| No | 177 | 39 % |
| Don't care, just win | 208 | 45.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
