Keefe on red-hot Samsonov: 'We believe in him'
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Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe was full of praise for goaltender Ilya Samsonov after Wednesday's 3-2 overtime win over the New York Rangers.
The victory came in Samsonov's fourth straight start for the Maple Leafs and improved his record to 14-0-1 on home ice this season. He's now Jacques Plante for the second-longest home point streak in Maple Leafs history, four back of Harry Lumley and George Hainsworth who own the team record with 18.
"We believe in him and have high expectations, but nobody expects anybody to have a record like that. It's quite remarkable," Keefe said. "It speaks a lot to his play and our team's play just the same, but this was another tough game for him.
"The margin for error was pretty thin, and you've got an elite goaltender and a countryman of his down at the other end [in Igor Shesterkin] - not unlike he did against the Islanders the other night - and I thought it both cases, he stood his ground and gave us [an] opportunity to win the game."
Samsonov has held the Maple Leafs net since entering the team's Jan. 17 win over the Florida Panthers after Matt Murray allowed four goals on eight shots. Samsonov stopped all 11 shots he faced over the next 40 minutes as the Maple Leafs came back to win.
The 25-year-old is 4-0-1 including the victory he earned over the Panthers with a .943 save percentage in his past five games. That stretch has included wins over playoff contenders in the Rangers, New York Islanders and Winnipeg Jets.
"It was a nice game, a great battle with [Shesterkin]," Samsonov said after his 26-save performance against the Rangers. "It was a little bit bigger game for me than normal against Shesterkin, Ilya Sorokin and Connor Hellebuyck too. Three good goalies. I'm happy we won; [it was a] hard game. Mitch [did] an excellent job in overtime, so [it's] nice."
In his first season with Toronto, Samsonov has a 16-4-2 record with a .921 save percentage and a 2.20 goals-against average. He is scheduled for restricted free agency again this summer after signing a one-year deal with the Maple Leafs after going untendered by the Washington Capitals in 2022.
The Maple Leafs remain home for their final three games before the All-Star break, taking on the Ottawa Senators on Friday, Samsonov's former team, the Washington Capitals, on Sunday and the league-leading Boston Bruins next Wednesday.