Sheldon Keefe delivers a not-so-subtle shot at Samsonov and other demoted/scratched players
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When the Maple Leafs placed Matt Murray on LTIR late in the summer and trusted Joseph Woll with the backup spot behind Ilya Samsonov, they were hoping that he would be able to build on his limited success that he'd had in his recent stints with the Leafs. Although he has had some less than stellar games, Woll, for the most part, has done exactly what the Leafs were asking for. Through 12 games, Woll is 7-5-0 but has a 2.74 GAA and .916 save percentage and will start his third game in a row for the Leafs tonight against the Seattle Kraken.
Ahead of tonight's game Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe was asked why he chose to give Woll his third straight start and in response, he appeared to deliver a not-so-subtle call-out on Samsonov.
"[Woll] just looks confident and comfortable in the net. He has not had a dip in either of these two games, two good ones in a row. It makes that decision somewhat easy. That is sort of the message throughout the team: If you want to play more, play better."
So far this season, Samsonov is 4-1-3 but has posted terrible numbers with a .878 save percentage and 3.58 GAA. He has looked better as of late, however, as he has given up 2 goals or less in 3 of his last five starts. The biggest issue with Samsonov right now is that he has been unable to make a save when the Leafs need it, particularly in his last start against the Chicago Blackhawks, when Jason Dickinson scored his first career hat-trick and all three of his goals were scored in the same place - low blocker.
This could also be a ploy from Keefe ahead of the Leafs' game on Saturday against the Boston Bruins, as to not show his cards ahead of the game, leaving the Bruins with less time to prepare. That could change very quickly depending how Woll plays tonight. If he is able to play the way he has the last two games, it would not be surprising to see him start his fourth straight on Saturday. However, if he falters or appears fatigued by an increased workload, we could see Samsonov draw in against a Bruins team who have lost 3 games in a row and 4 of their last 5 games.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 30 | 529 ANSWERS Sheldon Keefe delivers a not-so-subtle shot at Samsonov and other demoted/scratched players Should Keefe have given Woll the night off to prepare for Boston on Saturday? | ||
| No, ride the hot goalie | 349 | 66 % |
| Yes, Woll should stay fresh for the top teams | 104 | 19.7 % |
| Don't care, just win | 76 | 14.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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