After a tough 5-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 13, the Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to bounce back against the Detroit Red Wings tonight (Jan. 14). Leading up to the matchup, head coach Sheldon Keefe stayed quiet about who will be in the crease against the Red Wings. Yet, that has now changed, as he confirmed to reporters that Ilya Samsonov will get the start.
Sheldon Keefe tells reporters that Ilya Samsonov starts vs. Red Wings tonight.
— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) January 14, 2024
This news is quite notable, as this will be Samsonov’s first start for the Maple Leafs since being waived and sent down to the American Hockey League (AHL) at the start of the new year. His last start for the Maple Leafs came on Dec. 29 against the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he allowed six goals on only 21 shots. He also did not play a single game while with the Toronto Marlies and only practiced with the team.
Samsonov will now be looking to put together a statement game for the Maple Leafs against the Red Wings. His 2023-24 season has been a disaster, as evidenced by his short-term demotion to the AHL. In 15 appearances with the Maple Leafs this season, he has a 5-2-6 record to go along with a 3.94 goals-against average (GAA) and a .862 save percentage (SV%).
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This is a big game for Samsonov to return for, too, as the Red Wings are just three points behind the Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division standings. While the Maple Leafs have two games in hand on Detroit, it would still be beneficial to gain more breathing room in the standings by getting two points. The Maple Leafs hope that Samsonov can lead them to just that.
It will be interesting to see how Samsonov performs for the Maple Leafs. This is a great chance for him to show the Maple Leafs that he can still be an NHL-calibre goaltender. Let’s see if he can do just that.
