One interesting development involving the Leafs' goaltenders could lead to a more strategic starting rotation
After giving up 4 goals on 8 shots on Tuesday night at home against the Florida Panthers, Matt Murray was pulled in favour of Ilya Samsonov who stopped all 11 shots he faced in relief and helped the Leafs secure the comeback win. Last night, Samsonov continued his run of stellar play by stopping 37 of 38 shots, en route to a huge win over the Jets and a near perfect .974 SV%.
Murray and Samsonov have both had their moments of bad play this season and ironically, those issues for Murray happen during home games while they happen during road games for Samsonov. At home, Samsonov is 12-0-1 with a .938 save percentage and a 1.61 goals against average, but on the road he is just 2-4-0 with a .887 save percentage and 3.86 goals against average. Murray is the complete opposite, going 7-4-1 on the road, with a .929 save percentage and a 2.51 goals against average. At home, while he is 4-1-1, he has struggled and often needs the Leafs to outscore his troubles as he has posted a .888 save percentage and a 3.14 goals against average at Scotiabank Arena.
Goaltending for the Leafs has always been a question mark and was once again the biggest concern at the beginning of the season. So far, they have provided the Leafs with a very stable tandem, minus a few rough starts. Following the game last night, their home and away records were mentioned to Sheldon Keefe. He responded by saying that the Leafs are very much aware of it and that "it's definitely a thing.".
Could the numbers mean that going forward Keefe leans towards Murray more on the road while he plays Samsonov more at home? It's a possibility depending on scheduling, but we won't see it that much leading up to the All-Star Game as the Leafs will head into the break with five straight at home following Saturday's game in Montreal.
One thing that will be interesting to keep an eye on is whether Keefe leans on those numbers during the playoffs and play Samsonov during the home games and Murray during the road games.
| POLL | ||
20 JANVIER | 229 ANSWERS One interesting development involving the Leafs' goaltenders could lead to a more strategic starting rotation Should the Leafs designate a home and road goalie for the playoffs? | ||
| Yes | 34 | 14.8 % |
| No | 46 | 20.1 % |
| Run with the guy who's playing best | 149 | 65.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
