Samsonov will be between the visiting pipes versus Chicago on Friday, Terry Koshan of The Toronto Sun reports.
Samsonov has won his last two starts, giving up four goals on 62 shots in wins over Detroit and Vancouver. Samsonov is 4-1-2 in nine appearances, with a 3.55 GAA and .878 save percentage. He will face the Blackhawks, who are 31st in NHL scoring, averaging 2.53 goals per game.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Back in win column
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Samsonov stopped 27 shots in Friday's 3-2 win over the Red Wings.
A Daniel Sprong penalty shot and a Lucas Raymond wrister off the post less than two minutes apart in the second period accounted for all of Detroit's offense, and Samsonov was otherwise airtight in the crease. It's his second straight win after going nearly a month without a victory, and on the season the 26-year-old netminder is 4-1-2 with a 3.56 GAA and .878 save percentage over nine appearances. With Joseph Woll struggling lately (4.14 GAA and .862 save percentage since Halloween), the door is open for Samsonov to reclaim the No. 1 job with the Leafs if he can string together another good performance or two.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Starting against Wings
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Samsonov will get the starting nod against Detroit in Sweden on Friday, Jonas Siegel of The Athletic reports.
Samsonov has underwhelmed this season with a 3-1-2 record, 3.79 GAA and .870 save percentage in eight outings. With the 26-year-old backstop struggling, Joseph Woll has taken over as the preferred choice between the pipes and Woll figures to start against Minnesota on Sunday. The Leafs have a back-to-back upon their return to North America, which will likely give Samsonov another chance to start.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: First win since Oct. 14
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Samsonov made 31 saves Saturday in a 5-2 win over Vancouver.
The monkey is off his back. Samsonov let in a couple in the first period, but rebounded quickly and put up a solid effort. It was his first win since Oct. 14. Samsonov was 0-1-2 in his previous five starts, including getting pulled twice. Fingers crossed this is the start of something positive.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Starting versus Vancouver
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Samsonov will protect the home goal against the Canucks on Saturday, David Alter of Sports Illustrated reports.
Samsonov struggled mightily in his last start Monday against the Lightning, surrendering four goals on just 12 shots before being replaced by Joseph Woll in the first period of the eventual 6-5 overtime win. He'll try to shake off that poor performance and snap his personal three-game losing streak in a tough home matchup with a red-hot Vancouver team that's won seven of its last eight games.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Struggles vs. Lightning
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Samsonov surrendered four goals on 12 shots, prompting him to be pulled from Toronto's 6-5 overtime win over Tampa Bay on Monday.
Samsonov logged 15:13 of ice time before he was replaced by Joseph Woll with Toronto down 4-1. Toronto would go on to rally, preventing him from being charged with the loss. In Samsonov's defense, the Maple Leafs did get into penalty trouble early, and two of those markers were scored during Lightning power plays. Still, this is just the latest rough outing in what's been a bad year for him. The 26-year-old is 2-1-2 with a 4.11 GAA and an .855 save percentage in seven outings.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: First off Monday
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Samsonov was the first goaltender off the ice at the morning skate, Mark Masters of TSN reports, indicating he will start Monday's home game against Tampa Bay.
Samsonov is coming off a 38-save effort in Thursday's 3-2 shootout loss to Boston. He was pulled from Toronto's 4-3 overtime win over the Lightning on Oct. 21 after he allowed three goals on just four shots. Samsonov has a 2-1-2 record this season with a 3.56 GAA and an .871 save percentage through six games played.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Game starting to round corner
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Samsonov made 38 saves in a 3-2 shootout loss to Boston on Thursday.
Samsonov's game is starting to round a corner. Sure, there were still a few adventures in goaltending Thursday when he got caught too far out of the blue paint with the net gaping open. But those moments didn't hurt him. Samsonov also made several strong saves. At this point, his worst is likely behind him, so he might be a buy-low candidate.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Expected to start Thursday
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Samsonov was the first netminder off the ice at morning practice and is slated to patrol the visiting net in Boston on Thursday, according to David Alter of Sports Illustrated.
Samsonov has struggled mightily this season, despite his 2-1-1 record. He has allowed 17 goals on only 107 shots with his worst outing occurring Oct. 21 when he gave up three goals on four shots versus Tampa Bay before he was pulled in the opening stanza. Samsonov will face the Bruins, who have scored 29 goals in nine games this season.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Starting to improve
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Samsonov made 21 saves in a 3-2 overtime loss to Nashville on Saturday.
Samsonov has struggled so far, and at times, he looked to be squeezing his stick too hard. The first goal he surrendered was a touch weak -- Ryan O'Reilly slid a puck under his pad on the power play. But then he buckled down and made a bunch of great stops prior to losing the game in overtime. Still, Samsonov is in need of a confidence boost, as he is losing ground to Joseph Woll in Toronto's early-season goalie competition. Samsonov should settle into a roll soon, but there will be ups and downs for fantasy managers along the way.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Tending twine Saturday
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Samsonov will patrol the crease on the road versus Nashville on Saturday, Mark Masters of TSN reports.
Samsonov has found himself benched for the last two matchups after getting the hook versus the Lightning on Oct. 21. In that contest, the Russian netminder gave up three goals on just four shots for a ridiculous 13.85 GAA and .250 save percentage. Coach Sheldon Keefe doesn't seem to have any concerns about utilizing Joseph Woll, so Samsonov will need to rediscover his game soon to avoid dropping to the backup spot.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: First off ice Saturday
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Samsonov is expected to defend the visiting blue paint versus the Lightning on Saturday, according to Luke Fox of Sportsnet.ca.
Samsonov, who has a 2-1-0 record on the year, played his best game of the young season in a 3-1 loss to the Panthers on Thursday by making 21 saves on 23 shots. He allowed nine goals on 56 shots in his two wins over Montreal and Minnesota. Samsonov will face a Lightning squad that has found the back of the net 17 times in five games this campaign.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Can't overcome early wobbles
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Samsonov made 21 saves in a 3-1 loss to the Panthers on Thursday.
He wobbled late in the first period on goals by Kevin Stenlund (17:08) and Oliver Ekman-Larsson (19:53). But Samsonov sharpened his game to keep his teammates, who came out flat, in the match. Fans in Toronto have already been in a lather about Samsonov's wobbles, so this game didn't do anything to quiet the rumbles. It's too soon to get too concerned about Samsonov -- he's 2-1-0 in three games. But he does have a long way to go to tighten his ratios. He went into play Thursday with a 4.42 GAA and an .839 save percentage.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Allows four in win
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Samsonov made 28 saves in a 7-4 win over the Wild on Saturday.
Ryan Hartman opened the scoring on a tip-in in the first, but that lead didn't last. Auston Matthews scored the first of his three 1:22 later, and Samsonov and the Leafs never trailed again. He has a 4.42 GAA and an .839 save percentage to start the year despite a 2-0-0 record. Thankfully, the Leafs have scored 12 in the same span to give him plenty of goal support as he works out the kinks.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Between pipes Saturday
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Samsonov will tend the twine at home versus the Wild on Saturday, David Alter of Sports Illustrated reports.
Samsonov picked up the victory in the season opener against the Canadiens on Wednesday despite giving up five goals on 24 shots. Still, with the star-studded offense in front of him, Samsonov probably won't have to be perfect in most games. The 26-year-old backstop played in 42 games last season but could see an uptick in playing time with Matt Murray (hip) out long term.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Hangs on for win
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Samsonov allowed five goals on 24 shots in Wednesday's 6-5 shootout victory over Montreal.
Samsonov wasn't at his best in the opener as he allowed five goals, including three in the third period, but a pair of late Auston Matthews tallies tied the game 5-5 before Samsonov blanked Montreal in the shootout to earn the win. The 26-year-old netminder is expected to serve as Toronto's primary goaltender this year following a strong 2022-23 campaign during which he went 27-10-5 with a .919 save percentage.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Set to start season opener
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Samsonov is expected to guard the home net Wednesday against Montreal, Mark Masters of TSN reports.
Samsonov posted a 27-10-5 record last season with a 2.33 GAA, a .919 save percentage and four shutouts in 42 games played. He went 1-0-1 versus the Canadiens in 2022-23, stopping 48 of 52 shots.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Feeling ready for 2023-24
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Samsonov (neck) took part in Thursday's practice and is feeling good ahead of the 2023-24 campaign, per David Alter of Sports Illustrated.
Samsonov missed the final two games of Toronto's playoff run because of a neck injury and also battled shoulder issues during the 2022-23 regular season. He feels like he's in better shape than he was last season, though. Samsonov had a 27-10-5 record, 2.33 GAA and .919 save percentage in 42 regular-season contests last year.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Lands one-year deal
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Samsonov (neck) was awarded a one-year, $3.55 million contract with Toronto on Sunday by an independent arbitrator.
Samsonov, who sat out the final two games of Toronto's playoff run due to a neck injury, will be eligible for unrestricted free agency after the 2023-24 campaign. In 42 games last season, he posted a 27-10-5 record with a 2.33 GAA and a .919 save percentage. Samsonov will likely enter this year as the Maple Leafs' No. 1 netminder.
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Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov: Practicing on his own Friday
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Samsonov (upper body) was practicing on his own Friday, Mike Stephens of SI Now reports.
Samsonov has already been ruled out of action for Game 5 versus Florida on Friday. This is the first time he has returned to the ice since suffering the injury in Game 3 on Sunday. Samsonov is 4-4 in the postseason with a 3.13 GAA and .898 save percentage. His stats in the regular season were better, as he was 27-10-5 with a 2.33 GAA and .919 save percentage. Joseph Woll will get the start in goal in Game 5 for the Maple Leafs.
