Ilya Samsonov is currently holding a heated hand both on and off the rink. On Thursday night, the MLSE Foundation gala was attended by the goalie for the Leafs along with his teammates. This year’s event had a casino theme.
“I’ve won a poker tournament,” grinned broadly Samsonov. “I’m so excited.”
Does he play cards well?
“Who knows,” the 26-year-old remarked. “Yesterday, yeah.”
Benny just vibing with the goalies in the poker finals lmao pic.twitter.com/2R6Dbu1GE3
— katie (@itsmitchmarney) January 26, 2024
When the Leafs play the Jets in Winnipeg on Saturday to finish their home-and-home series, they will be wagering on Samsonov once more. On Wednesday night, Samsonov earned a 1-0 overtime victory by blocking all 32 shots he faced. Toronto fans gave Samsonov a standing ovation and screamed his name when he turned away a 2-on-0 opportunity during a power play for the Leafs in the second period.
“I almost cry,” Samsonov remarked. “I haven’t listened to this in a long time. Yes, this is quite significant.”
After the team’s victory in Seattle on Sunday, Samsonov was awarded the player-of-the-game award and attempted to deliver it to overtime hero Auston Matthews.
Matthews said, “No, no, no,” as he walked the belt back to his goaltender in the locker room. “Sammy, fantastic work. It’s not something I can accept.”
Jets goalie Laurent Brossoit stated, “You gotta tip your cap.” “He was a pretty good player. After he made the 2-on-0 saves, I realized we were in serious trouble. The audience participated enthusiastically. It was evident that he was beginning to sense it. After what he endured, you have to be happy for him.”
Sammy really thought… pic.twitter.com/mDY2qr445p
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) January 25, 2024
Having only played in 15 games this season, Samsonov’s save % was a dismal.862. On December 31, the Leafs placed him on waivers. Since none of the other thirty-one teams made a claim, Samsonov was assigned to play in the American Hockey League with the Toronto Marlies. Prior to getting called up to the NHL on January 10, he worked with Marlies goalie coach Hannu Toivonen for a while. He’s since played three games and improved in all of them.
“I don’t want to say nothing about, ‘I’m back’ or ‘Not back.’ I’m here right now,” said Samsonov. “We’ll see tomorrow, but today I got some nice practice. Yes, day by day. daily. From moment to moment.”
Over the past three games, Samsonov’s save % stands at.944. Has he earned the team’s trust again?
Sheldon Keefe, head coach of the Leafs, stated, “The trust is there.” We wouldn’t reintroduce him if it wasn’t. Undoubtedly, trust exists, but just like with any other athlete, consistency is key. Until we continually send him out there, he cannot demonstrate his consistency. That’s all there is to it. He needs to continue accruing positive days. In terms of a recuperation day, that is what yesterday was for and what today is for him. Tomorrow he gets the chance to return to the net and play away from home against a formidable opposition. Continue to accumulate these wonderful days.”
Right now, Samsonov appears to be a different goalie. On the rink, he feels more at ease.
He clarified, “You need to get some relax and more easy moving.” Swifter in the network. I think this is the most important aspect for me at the moment.”
Captain John Tavares said, “You just see him being more and more like himself and just challenging shooters, being aggressive.” “His skill-set really comes out.”
On Saturday night, it’s probably going to be Connor Hellebuyck, a candidate for the Vezina Trophy. Asking Samsonov about that matchup, he put on his best poker look.
“Doesn’t matter who plays tomorrow, I just focus on my game,” he stated. “I believe Winnipeg is a really tough team. Playing against these guys is incredibly difficult.”
Following a shot to his left hand from Timothy Liljegren, Calle Jarnkrok departed practice. Along with a member of the team’s medical staff, the winger smacked his glove on the ground as they made their way to the dressing room.
“It’s definitely cause for concern,” Keefe stated. “We won’t know the extent until we give it a chance to settle down a little bit and get it looked at.”
Although Jarnkrok has been skating alongside Max Domi and Nick Robertson on the third line, the agile winger frequently climbs up the lineup in the final minutes of games to help the Leafs hold a lead. Additionally, the 32-year-old Swede delivers offensive punch. He ranks fifth on the team with 10 goals.
“He is very consistent in who he is in terms of his details,” stated Keefe. “You may use him in any position and anywhere. He can assist with the penalty kill and power play. a key figure in our team. Although he is an unpopular character, I believe that he has a lot of respect in our room because of the way he plays the game.”
“He plays an important role, not always talked about,” Tavares stated. “One of his best qualities is that he can play alongside anyone, anywhere in the lineup. Because of what he brings to the table and how well he compliments everyone, everyone loves playing with him. Someone on whom we rely heavily, so hopefully nothing major.”
Bobby McMann, the left winger, skipped practice. He did not attend Sunday’s game in Seattle either.
“McMann, as we have talked about in the last couple of weeks with the back-to-backs, has been dealing with something that has been lingering,” Keefe stated. “We thought it would get better with time, but it has persisted to the point where it was decided that he would benefit from taking a longer sabbatical. He won’t be available for us tomorrow since he is going on the IR. We reasoned that by giving him an additional three days off the ice (yesterday, today, and tomorrow), we should be able to help him get over this by the time we return.”
February 5 is the Leafs’ first game following the All-Star break.
The only healthy forwards the Leafs are sending to Winnipeg are McMann and Jarnkrok.
Ryan Reaves, a native of Winnipeg, was taken off long-term injured reserve earlier this week. He hasn’t played since sustaining a knee injury on December 14. On Friday, Reaves was not accessible to the media.
Tyler Bertuzzi returned to practice on Friday after missing the game on Wednesday to be with his wife during her pregnancy. Alongside Tavares and William Nylander on the second line was Bertuzzi, in his customary role.
“Very happy for him,” Tavares exclaimed. “It’s incredible, and everything went well. I am pleased to see him have some jump tomorrow because I know how happy he and his family are. He’s a little fresher than everyone, we told him.”
Keefe believed that weariness played a role in Wednesday’s match.
“Now that we won the game and everything, to me, it looked like a team that was still on the plane and still on the West Coast,” Keefe said. That is how it appeared and felt. When they get at their building, I’m confident they’ll be much better than we are.
The game on Sunday in Seattle marked the conclusion of an 11-game, 20-night run that saw the Leafs travel to eight different cities.
Tavares and Nylander frequently stay late for additional work following practice; however, they typically work with a development coach or alone. The linemates collaborated on Friday. Nylander was in front of Tavares when he delivered pucks, and the winger blasted them into an empty net.
“He wanted to work on a few things so he asked me to shoot a few pucks,” Tavares said. “The response is always simple (smile). You like working on projects, especially when one of your teammates wants to take on a few more tasks. It’s all about finding your path, improving, and working together with your coworkers to achieve that; that’s the exciting part.”
Tavares on post-practice reps with Nylander today:
“He wanted to work on a few things so he asked me … that’s the fun part is continuing to find your way & get better, & to do that with your teammates, that’s what it’s all about” pic.twitter.com/PZihJuUdF4
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) January 26, 2024
Only one of the previous nine games has seen Nylander score. Tavares has experienced his longest point drought of his career after failing to score in nine games. Since January 6th in San Jose, Nylander and Tavares have not combined on a scoring play.
Keefe declared, “Willy is a competitor.” “Early in the season, he established great expectations for himself. He is a player, and I believe he has high expectations for himself and his abilities. He won’t be satisfied if things don’t go that way; instead, he will keep working at it. We genuinely appreciate Will for that.
Of the 37 games played thus far this season, Nylander has scored in 17.
Nylander, with 61 points in 46 games, continues to pace the Leafs.
“The other night, in the second half of the game, he was really starting to come alive,” Keefe said. His feet were moving a lot. You should observe guys who are trying to get out of their current circumstances. I observe such trait in John somewhat regularly, and Willy exhibits the same behavior.”
On Friday, Nylander was not accessible to the media.
The Leafs focused a large amount of practice time on the power play on Tuesday. It was not profitable. Despite having five opportunities to score against the Jets on Wednesday, Toronto was unable to do so.
Referring to the 2-on-0 opportunity, Tavares said, “It’s not even close to our standard especially when you give up an opportunity like we gave up and the way Sammy had to bail us out.” “Just the habits and the details and the work ethic has to be there.”
Throughout the past eight games, the Leafs are presently 1 for 20. The lone goal came on January 18 at Calgary during a 4-on-3 advantage.
“We just got to get back to keeping it simple and to doing the things we were doing early in the year when we were really clicking,” Morgan Rielly, the defenceman, said. “Shotting more pucks and proceeding accordingly. We’ve been holding onto it for far too long.”
“A tiny bit disoriented,” Matthews remarked. “We got to get on the same page and maybe simplify some things.”
During Friday’s practice, the Leafs did not rehearse the power play on the ice. What’s the secret to regaining focus?
“You stick with it,” Keefe said. You wonder about it every day: how long will you stick with it? Before the [bye and All-Star] break, we have one more game. This is a great chance for our boys to answer. However, I believe that the third-period power play, during which we had our opportunities, was significantly superior to the one that occurred earlier in the game. We end on a slightly optimistic note by at least creating some opportunities and glances. If we had scored, things would have been very different.
For the majority of the season, the Leafs have played with a top line that is filled with Rielly, Matthews, Nylander, Tavares, and Mitch Marner under the guidance of new assistant coach Guy Boucher. The Leafs have been experimenting with different lineup configurations, such as starting Rielly on the half wall with Nylander at quarterback.
“They have had a recipe and a plan that has worked quite well throughout the season — even at times when we haven’t scored — in terms of our chances, activity at the net, and being inside,” Keefe stated. “Really, the entire season, we have led the league in that regard. All you have to do is keep at it. It’s incredible how the power play begins to function when each player performs well on their own. That is all included in it.”
In terms of power play percentage (27), the Leafs were sixth overall after going 3-for-3 against the Sharks on January 9.
“You want to stick with it and trust the guys who have had a great deal of success — and not just this season,” Keefe stated. “Even in situations when the puck hasn’t crossed the goal line, the offense those guys have produced is impressive, and we lead the NHL in several power play statistics. You start to look at things and ask questions when the puck is not going in. Before the break, we have one more game. This is a great chance for our boys to step up at a critical juncture. We have talked about a few alternative solutions, but it’s crucial to have faith in the group and give them time to figure things out on their own.
particularly since a break is approaching. Perhaps we should start looking at alternative options if we don’t receive the desired answer.”
Last season, the Leafs’ power-play % (26) put them in second place overall. Right now, they are ranked ninth overall (23.7).
During the next power play on Wednesday, Keefe benched Matthews, Marner, and Nylander after the Leafs handed up the 2-on-0. Additionally, on the game’s third power play, he initiated the second unit.
Matthews stated, “In those situations, we just got to be better.” “We are responsible for that. We must improve. We’ll improve.”
“Clearly inadequate,” Marner remarked. “We are aware of that. It is unacceptable to throw up our long-standing position in a game like that, particularly during a power play.”
When the 2-on-0 happened, the trio had been on for one minute and forty seconds. A deflected clearance allowed Adam Lowry and Morgan Barron to come in all alone from the blue line with plenty of time. Matthews was sitting on the bench for a change, Marner was crouched at the top of the Jets slot, and Nylander was deep in the offensive zone.
“Too extended,” remarked Marner. It was just a little unclear. That is something we own up to. Thank God for 35 [Samsonov] in there; it’s unacceptable.”
“They make a mistake there,” Keefe remarked. “It is a chance for me to hold them accountable and get some other guys involved.”
At the Toronto All-Star Game, Rielly, Matthews, Marner, and Nylander will be the Leafs’ representatives. It will be Rielly and Nylander’s first time participating in the mid-season showcase. It’s more significant, according to Rielly, because it’s taking place in Toronto.
At the MLSE Foundation event on Thursday night, Rielly told reporters, “It hit me more when I was talking to my dad.” “He called me back, saying, ‘I don’t know what I was thinking,’ and he was contemplating coming out or not. Definitely, I’m coming. It wouldn’t escape me. After that, you sort of piece things together. To be here, in this situation, and to be playing a game like that makes me feel extremely privileged. I simply make an effort to appreciate everything, not take anything for granted, and feel appreciative to be a Maple Leaf.”
The longest-serving Leaf is Rielly, who was selected fifth overall in the 2012 draft.
“This feels like home now,” the native of Vancouver stated. “I’ve lived here for 10 years, over 10 years, and I’m completely in love with the city and the people and the diversity and the fans and what it has to offer.”
What area of Toronto is his favorite?
The 29-year-old declared, “Diversity, weather, people, um, just everything,” and then grinned. “Movements. It doesn’t concern me. I adore everything about it.”
Conor Timmins, a defenseman for the Leafs, was penalized for cross-checking Brandon Tanev of Seattle into the boards during an early-game puck race on Sunday.
“Usually when you’re going into the corner with guys you’re just trying to manipulate their hips and get body position so you can get the puck,” Timmins said. “I had assumed that we had slowed down sufficiently to prevent such an effect. Thank goodness he was unharmed, and let’s move on.”
Immediately after the play, Timmins assured Tanev it wasn’t deliberate.
Timmins described the game as “fast-paced.” “I’m not a dishonest participant. I believed that he had regained possession of the puck and decelerated sufficiently to prevent such an impact play.”
Toronto’s Conor Timmins has been fined $2,864.58, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for cross-checking Seattle’s Brandon Tanev.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) January 22, 2024
Timmins and Tanev pic.twitter.com/HFa5kUvpGv
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 22, 2024
