Leafs starting goaltender for Game 1 confirmed
With the NHL regular season officially over, the focus now shifts to the postseason as the Toronto Maple Leafs are making their final adjustments for the Tampa Bay Lightning when they come to town on Tuesday.
One final preparation was to situate the Game 1 starting goaltender. Ilya Samsonov missed the final two regular season games with "bumps and bruises" which was noted as a precautionary move. However, the Leafs had yet to confirm if he would be available to take the crease for the start of the playoffs. That question has been answered today as Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun reports, Samsonov is "good to go for Game 1".
Samsonov solidified himself as the starting goaltender after a number of very strong performances in Matt Murray's absence. In his sole season with the Leafs this year, he posted a 27-10-5 record with a 2.33 GAA and a 0.919 SV%.
Despite dealing with some lingering issues, his last game played was on April 10th against the Florida Panthers meaning he will have had a full eight days of rest before he takes the ice against the Lightning. As Samsonov himself said a couple of weeks back, "Sammy don't break". Thankfully, a few days rest was all he needed.
Credit: hockeydb.com
| POLL | ||
15 AVRIL | 438 ANSWERS Leafs starting goaltender for Game 1 confirmed Will Samsonov carry the Leafs to a Game 1 victory? | ||
| Yes, absolutely | 339 | 77.4 % |
| Yes, hopefully he remains healthy | 80 | 18.3 % |
| No, I don't think so | 19 | 4.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
