Heading into Sunday's game against the Detroit Red Wings, it had been 16 days since Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov had played in a game. It had also been two weeks since he was placed on waivers before spending 10 days with the development staff and practicimg with the Toronto Marlies.
While the Leafs ended up falling 4-2 in Samsonov's return, Samsonov was confident in his movement and reading of plays and even garnered "Sam-my, Sam-my" chants from the Toronto faithful following a ridiculous glove save late in the third.
After Martin Jones played seven straight games for the Leafs, he got a well-deserved night off on the second half of a back-to-back to make way for Samsonov's return. With the Leafs heading out West for four games, they will need Samsonov to build on his return and help snap the three-game losing streak they are currently on.
