The Maple Leafs’ number one goalie was sidelined by poor play and illness, and Toronto’s top goalie, Joseph Woll, took over.
Samsonov will get a run of games as his crease partner is now expected to be out for some time.
It started out well on Saturday.
The Leafs defeated the Predators 4-0, led by two goals from Auston Matthews, and a season-opening shutout from Samsonov after he made 18 saves.
In the locker room, the Russian netminder grinned and remarked, “Long time, no see.” Fantastic match for us.
Following Woll’s high ankle injury sustained during Thursday’s 4-3 victory in Ottawa, Samsonov was called upon.
Samsonov was shocked to see Matt Murray struggle with a series of injuries.
In addition to being without Woll, the Leafs were also playing with a wounded defense that was without Mark Giordano (broken finger), Timothy Liljegren (high ankle injury), and John Klingberg (hip). William Lagesson missed time due to illness as well.
Sheldon Keefe, the head coach of Toronto, stated that there is a subliminal element to players concentrating on structure during notable absences. “Team games handled everything and helped everyone get comfortable.
Toronto’s other goals came from David Kampf and Noah Gregor, both into the empty net (14-6-4). John Tavares contributed one assist, and William Nylander provided two to give him 998 career points.
After eight consecutive one-goal matches, Kampf’s team finally played the entire game for 60 minutes. Every line is moving. With luck
Nashville (14-13-0), who had won three straight games overall, defeated the Leafs 3-2 in overtime on October 28 thanks to a stoppage of 33 shots by Kevin Lankinen.
Head coach Andrew Brunette of the Predators commented, “I didn’t play very well. None of us performed particularly well, in my opinion.
For the first time since a 4-3 overtime loss in Chicago on Nov. 24, Samsonov—who came into the game with a 4-1-3 record, a mediocre.878 save percentage, and a 3.58 goals-against average in 10 starts—saw play.
Keefe stated that if it could be depicted as the ideal game for him, it would most likely be it. That position is receiving some strain and attention.
It’s fantastic that Sammy could come in and enjoy a night like that.
Matthews said Samsonov’s mood didn’t change over the last few weeks as he worked to rediscover his form.
It’s just Sammy, said the centre. “He’s pretty focused. He has fun out there, and he likes to compete. You never really see that sway too much.
She always seems to keep the right demeanour and the right attitude.
Kampf opened the scoring in what was a low-event game to that point at 14:15 of the second period when he took a pass from Conor Timmins before splitting two defenders and scoring his third goal of the season and second in as many games.
Nylander described the endeavor as sick.
At 17:57, after a give-and-go where Lankinen could only manage a piece of Nylander’s pass for his 17th, Matthews doubled that lead.
Tommy Novak hit the post late in the period, and Samsonov, who recorded his 11th career shutout and first since April 1, made a nice stop off a Cody Glass deflection on a power play.
Jake McCabe, a defenceman with the Leafs, dropped the gloves with Kiefer Sherwood after delivering a massive hit on Luke Evangelista in the third.
In regular, Matthews sealed the victory with 3:11 remaining after receiving a pass from Nylander and burying his 18th goal. With less than two minutes remaining, Gregor added a short-handed empty netter, his fourth of the game.
The goal is that, according to Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly. “The third session was reasonably orderly.
Samsonov started his comeback effort by denying Colton Sissons from the slot on a power play after Lankinen had stopped Mitch Marner and Max Domi on two early opportunities.
According to Nylander, every player has periods of time when they aren’t going to be at their best. You are aware that you will overcome it. Tonight, he performed admirably in breaking out of it, finding his rhythm, and figuring out his game.
I’m very glad for him.
RECOGNITION FACES
Ryan O’Reilly, the center for the Predators, and Luke Schenn, the defenseman, made their Toronto debuts after leaving in free agency.
Before the trade deadline of the previous season, the two were acquired in different trades, and they later assisted the Leafs in defeating Tampa Bay in the opening round of the playoffs.
Special, O’Reilly said of getting ready for Toronto after Nashville’s morning skate, after hearing some jeers on Saturday. What a wonderful experience.
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