With plenty of discussion surrounding who should start against the Jets, here's who the Leafs should start tonight
As good as Matt Murray has been for the Leafs this season, it was inevitable that he'd eventually play a game that would plant the seed of doubt in the minds of Leaf fans. Well, after allowing 4 goals on 8 shots on Tuesday against the Panthers, Murray was the target of much criticism and Samsonov much praise as the former flopped and the latter picked up the pieces and led the Leafs to a much-needed win over a division rival.
Samsonov stopped all 11 shots he faced in relief, backstopping the Buds to a 5-4 OT win and made some astounding saves to help secure the victory. In doing so, Samsonov showed his ability to battle through adversity. Even more important, the 25-year-old improved his home record to 11-0-1, not losing a single game in regulation at home this season.
The Leafs play host to the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday and there are some in Leafs Nation who want Murray to get right back in there and prove that his last outing was an outlier and not at all indicative of where his game is at. On the other hand, there are plenty who believe that Samsonov has earned the right to try to extend his home record to an impressive 12-0-1 tonight at Scotiabank Arena.
The Buds are at home tonight and then on the road in Montreal on Saturday, before kicking off a 5-game homestand from Jan 23rd through Feb 1st. So, in terms of Samsonov getting another home start here in pretty short order, he'll be right back in for the Buds next week if he plays backup tonight. From Murray's side of things, perhaps another night off to reset and get his head right before a visit to Montreal could be the play.
The Leafs have some tricky waters to navigate here. Samsonov's play hasn't been top quality of late, so going right back to him after a massive win could help breed some confidence. For Murray, he'll desperately want an opportunity to get back in there and show that he can be much better than he showed on Tuesday night against Florida.
In my personal opinion, Samsonov probably deserves the start. It was likely to be his start anyway had Murray played the entire game against Florida. Then, if the Leafs want to use a struggling Habs team as a bit of a springboard for Matt Murray's confidence, they can turn right around and start him against the Islanders again on the 23rd to try to get his confidence going as well. Whether or not the Leafs will give Sammy the start is still up in the air, but I believe it to be the right play. Look for the Leafs to confirm their starter following today's morning skate.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 19 | 135 ANSWERS With plenty of discussion surrounding who should start against the Jets, here's who the Leafs should start tonight Should the Leafs start Samsonov or Murray tonight? | ||
| Samsonov | 120 | 88.9 % |
| Murray | 15 | 11.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
