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Ðåêëàìà â Èíòåðíåò * Âñå Êóëè÷êè |
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Ilya Samsonov is making himself at home in the Leafs’ crease. The road to the Stanley Cup is another story. 26 ÿíâàðÿ 2023ãîäà. "Toronto Sun". Dave Feschuk While Samsonov is on course for franchise-record numbers at Scotiabank Arena, Matt Murray has been much better on the road and has playoff pedigree. Things can change quickly with goalies. Things can change quickly in the goaltending business. It’s easy enough to forget that the last time Matt Murray played for the Maple Leafs, it looked as though he might finally be separating himself in the race with Ilya Samsonov for Toronto’s No. 1 job. When he got the start against the Florida Panthers on Jan. 17, Murray had taken the crease in seven of Toronto’s most recent 10 games. Before that, he had been given a prestige start against the league-leading Boston Bruins a few nights earlier, not to mention games against the division rival Tampa Bay Lightning and defending champion Colorado Avalanche in late December. If the Leafs weren’t publicly declaring a preference between their new-this-season netminders, Murray, who’d been the opening-night starter, certainly looked as though he was emerging that guy. And then the puck was dropped in that home game against the Panthers last week, and things changed. Murray was chased after allowing four goals on Florida’s first eight shots. Samsonov emerged in relief to backstop a comeback win, 5-4 in overtime. And more than a week later, Murray has yet to see another minute of game action. It’s difficult to say when he might. The Leafs, who have taken seven of a possible eight points in their most recent four games with Samsonov as the starter, have three games remaining on a five-game homestand. And Samsonov now finds himself in the midst of authoring one of the great regular-season performances by a Leafs goaltender on home ice. With Wednesday’s 3-2 overtime win over the New York Rangers, Samsonov improved his record at Scotiabank Arena to 14-0-1. He has yet to lose in regulation in Toronto, while putting up a home save percentage of .938. It’s only 15 games, sure. But among Leafs goaltenders who’ve played at least 10 home games in a season, you have to hark back to Jacques Plante in 1971 to find one who put up a better save percentage on Toronto ice. Should he keep it up, Samsonov’s home goals-against average of 1.66 would be the franchise’s best in a season since Harry Lumley put up 1.60 in 1955. That was the season Lumley, fresh off winning a Vezina Trophy, finished second in Hart voting. In other words, more than halfway through his first season in the centre of the hockey universe, Samsonov is making himself at home in a way nobody could have expected. “We believe in him, and we have high expectations. But nobody expects anybody to have a record like that,” Sheldon Keefe, the Leafs’ coach, was saying after Wednesday’s win. “It’s quite remarkable.” It’s a remarkable enough run that it can make you forget how Samsonov has been a wholly different goaltender away from Scotiabank Arena, where he’s giving up about twice as many goals a game while putting up an .889 save percentage and a 2-4-1 record — numbers worthy of the minor leagues. It’s also remarkable enough to make you forget, at least for a moment, that in the midst of another Leafs season that’ll only be judged by the post-season, Samsonov has been a wholly different goaltender in the playoffs. In seven post-season starts as a member of the Washington Capitals, he managed all of one win. That’d be 28 fewer career playoff wins than Murray, which no doubt explains why the Leafs, a little more than a week ago, appeared to be leaning toward giving their most important netminding assignments to the two-time Stanley Cup champion. Alas, Murray has been plagued by his own home-road disparity. While Samsonov has been great in Toronto, Murray has put up a dismal .888 save percentage at home. While Samsonov has struggled as a visitor, Murray’s .921 road save percentage ranks sixth in the league among goaltenders who’ve made at least 12 road appearances. Which brings us back to the three games remaining in Toronto’s current homestand, which continues Friday night against the Ottawa Senators. The Leafs would no doubt like to get Murray some work. Then again, Keefe always talks about the importance of internal competition, preferring to see an athlete grab an opportunity by force rather than having it handed to them out of obligation. And it’s hard to make a case that Samsonov hasn’t earned the chance to start, at least on home ice, until his performance says otherwise, especially since the next back-to-back scenario on the schedule doesn’t come until after next weekend’s all-star break. Keefe said that, as much as nobody can deny Samsonov’s results on home ice, he’s been most encouraged by the way Samsonov is buying into “the process” and sticking to “the plan” that’s been provided by Toronto goaltending coach Curtis Sanford. “(Sanford is) showing me clips of things. Sometimes maybe even when the puck doesn’t even get to the net, but it’s just, if it got to the net then he’s in perfect position. His depth is right. He’s tracking the puck well. He’s reading the play well,” Keefe said. “All those sorts of things that don’t necessarily show up in saves all the time, but just that he’s ready and he’s focused. And sometimes it’s even more important because it fuels the big saves that your process is right. If the puck’s not coming, maybe you’re not getting a lot of shots, you’re not getting a lot of chances, but your process is really focused and very sharp (so) that when the chance comes, you’re just going to take care of it and make it look easy. “I think that’s what we’ve seen from him as he’s gotten into rhythm here. And that’s, of course, encouraged us to keep him going.” How long he’ll keep this going is anyone’s guess. It was only a few years ago that Samsonov was being touted as Washington’s goaltender of the future. But it was only after the Capitals essentially gave up on him, allowing him to become a free agent last summer, that the Leafs took a flyer on his upside. So far, so long as the game has been in Toronto, the bet is paying off. Then again, things can change quickly in the goaltending business. |
 Ñòðàíè÷êà Èëüÿ Ñàìñîíîâà íà ñàéòå "Çâ¸çäû ñ Âîñòîêà"
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