Leafs name starting goalies for Thursday and Saturday's games against the Rangers, Caps

As the Leafs ride a 15-game point streak jogging back to November 12th against the Vancouver Canucks, they look to tie the franchise record for consecutive games with a point on Thursday night against the New York Rangers. Ahead of their tilt, head coach Sheldon Keefe announced the starting goaltender for the upcoming matchup.

Against the Rangers, it looks like goaltender Matt Murray will take the crease against the fellow original six team, who currently boast a 15-10-5 record through 30 games. Coming off of his first rough start since opening night, Murray will be looking for a better performance against a powerhouse offense in the Rangers.

Murray has a stellar 7-1-2 record throughout the season with a 2.50 GAA and a 0.926 SV%. For a Rangers team who scores 3.07 goals on average a game, it should be a good test for the Leafs banged up blueline and for Murray to bounce back after allowing four goals to the Calgary Flames Saturday night.

While mentioning Thursday's starter, Keefe also noted his plans for Saturday's game against the Washington Capitals. With Murray starting against the Rangers tomorrow, Keefe announced the nod would go to Samsonov to play against his former team on Saturday.

The Leafs last played the Capitals on October 13th in just the fifth game of the season, where they pulled out a gutsy 3-2 victory. Samsonov started in this game posting 24 saves and a .923 SV%. If everything goes to plan on Thursday, this will allow Samsonov to get a long rest before facing off against his former team for the second time this season. Samsonov has an outstanding 9-2-0 record in a prove himself contract year with a 1.70 GAA and a 0.939 SV%.

Without a doubt, the Leafs goaltending has been sensational and more than what fans could have asked for. With two very positive goaltending records in reflection of the lopsided amount of injuries the buds have faced, it's extremely impressive.

Credit: hockeydb.com - Ilya Samsonov, hockeydb.com - Matt Murray

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