The Toronto Maple Leafs are in a massive hole as they trail the Florida Panthers 3-0 in their best of seven Eastern Conference semi-final series. Now they may have to deal with an elimination game without goaltender Ilya Samsonov. David Alter of The Hockey News is reporting that Samsonov is feeling better today but will be going for an MRI and additional testing to gain a better understanding on what is happening with the 26-year-old. His status for game four is unknown currently.
Samsonov left game three early after he was run over by teammate Luke Schenn on an odd man rush. The former first round pick lay on the ice after the incident and was checked by Maple Leafs training staff. He was eventually ruled out of the game and did not return. Joseph Woll came in to relieve Samsonov and made 18 saves before allowing the overtime winning goal to Sam Reinhart.
Samsonov has been terrific this season for Toronto having posted a .919 save percentage to go along with a 27-10-5 record. Should he miss game four the Maple Leafs would likely go back to rookie Woll who filled in admirably for Samsonov. Woll has been great for Toronto in limited action this year having posted a 6-1 record with a .932 save percentage and 2.16 goals against average.
One thing to potentially keep an eye on could be current third string goaltender Matt Murray. The Thunder Bay native was cleared to return prior to the series and has been practicing with the club. Murray hasn’t played since he suffered a concussion in early April and while it is unlikely he would be thrown into the net to start an elimination game, he would become the backup should Samsonov miss any time.
strange to hear MRI “and other tests”.
may be doing a concussion baseline testing
The Curse Of Luke Schenn, 2023 edition.