Ilya Samsonov's play could make it difficult for Matt Murray to get back between the pipes
On Monday night in Vegas, it was the first time this season that Ilya Samsonov gave up more than 2 goals in a game as a Leaf. Since Matt Murray went down with an abductor injury, Samsonov has given the Leafs something they have not had much of in seasons past - consistent goaltending and timely saves. He is seizing the opportunity of being the Leafs' number one goalie and running with it.
Out of goalies that have played 3 or more games, Samsonov is currently 6th in the league with a GAA of 2.01 and 8th in the league with a .932 save percentage. While both of those numbers are impressive for the 25-year-old, but what is even more impressive is how Samsonov ranks in underlying numbers.
Samsonov is ranked 8th or higher in the analytical categories that are most often looked at such as WAR (Wins Above Replacement), goals saved above expected and goals save above expected per 60. As you can see from the below, Samsonov is exceeding all expectations early on in his Leaf tenure.
4th in WAR: 1.00
4th in GAA Better than Expected: 1.20
6th in GAA: 2.01
4th in SV%Ax: 0.020
8th in SV% on unblocked shots: .966
4th in GSAx60: 1.203
4th in GSAx: 6
8th in SV%: .932
As you can see, Samsonov has given the Leafs a chance to win every night he has started so far and it would be fair to say that he has stolen a game or two for them already. In addition, Monday's game in Vegas would have been much worse than 3-1 had it not been for his play. If Samsonov continues to play the way he has, he will make it difficult for Matt Murray to get back into the net when he is healthy again, even though Murray was originally viewed as the team's number one.
It is worth noting that Murray was phenomenal during the preseason, boasting an otherworldly .970 SV% through his 3 appearances, so there's certainly a chance that he comes in and also provides solid, stable goaltending for the Leafs. Frankly, it's a great problem to have if you're head coach Sheldon Keefe.
While 5 games is not nearly a large enough sample size to pencil Samsonov in as a Vezina Trophy candidate, and before any Leafs fans do just that, be wary that he typically starts hot and then cools down considerably as the season wears on. However, that could be due to a number of factors with Washington - inconsistent play time, less defensive structure or a number of other things. So far though, the Leafs could not have asked him to do anything more than what he's done up to this point.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 26 | 294 ANSWERS Ilya Samsonov's play could make it difficult for Matt Murray to get back between the pipes Has Ilya Samsonov taken over as the number one goalie in Toronto? | ||
| Yes | 211 | 71.8 % |
| No | 15 | 5.1 % |
| Too early to say | 68 | 23.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
