Why Leafs fans should not worry about the Murray/Samsonov tandem this season
The Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup on the heels of below average goaltending (.902 sv%). The Leafs made the playoffs and finished second in the Atlantic division behind three goalies that all had save percentages below .900 while the league average last season was .909 sv%.
Between Petr Mrazek and Erik Kallgren last season, they played 34 games and posted identical .888 save percentages. In those 34 games, Mrazek and Kallgren were the goalie of record in 31 of them and of those 31 games, the Leafs went 20-10-1.
The Leafs set franchise records in points and wins this past season and they did it with a team save percentage well below league average. That shows you just how talented this team is. Could you imagine if they got the .902 percentage Colorado got with Darcy Kuemper? Or if they hovered around the league average?
For everyone doubting the combination of Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov, it might be worth noting that both will be playing behind a team defense that was better than each of their respective teams were last season. They may not lead the league in save percentage or goals against average this season, but the chances of them posting worse numbers than the three goalies the Leafs had last year are very slim.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 17 | 321 ANSWERS Why Leafs fans should not worry about the Murray/Samsonov tandem this season Who will finish the season as the Leafs' starting goaltender heading into the playoffs? | ||
| Matt Murray | 138 | 43 % |
| Ilya Samsonov | 142 | 44.2 % |
| Other | 41 | 12.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
