Ilya Samsonov has a chance to make Leafs history with a win over the Flyers on Thursday
The Leafs are back at it on Thursday with a rare matinee matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers and, as announced on Wednesday, Ilya Samsonov will get the nod for the Leafs, which is probably a very good thing.
Not that Matt Murray is a weak link in any way, shape or form, but Samsonov currently sits 8-0-0 when playing at home in Toronto this year, which has him currently sitting 2nd in franchise history for consecutive home wins to start a season. This puts him 2 ahead of the great Felix Potvin, who won 6 in a row at home to start the 1993-94 season and 1 behind Bruce Gamble, who started his season with 9-straight home wins in 1967-68.
Samsonov has an excellent chance to tie the record this afternoon when he takes on a Flyers team, who he holds a career 8-1-0 record over. Samsonov is no stranger to the Flyers, having spent the bulk of his career playing in what was a powerhouse Metro Division.
The 25-year-old has had a stellar start to his 2022-23 campaign so far, posting a 9-3-0 record, carrying a 1.98 GAA (3rd best in the NHL) and a .929 SV% (2nd best in the NHL). While the Leafs were going to be rolling out a strong goaltender either way, this one has a little extra significance for Samsonov with the share of a franchise record on the line.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 22 | 245 ANSWERS Ilya Samsonov has a chance to make Leafs history with a win over the Flyers on Thursday Do you think the Leafs will re-sign Samsonov? | ||
| Yes | 221 | 90.2 % |
| No | 24 | 9.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
