Maple Leafs goalie Ilya Samsonov ‘fine,’ expected to start Saturday after leaving morning skate early
Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed Samsonov simply took a shot in a bad spot.
Maple Leafs top goalie Ilya Samsonov left Saturday’s morning skate under some duress but will nonetheless start against the Carolina Hurricanes.
“Sammy’s fine, he’ll play tonight, leave me alone,” were coach Sheldon Keefe’s opening comments to his morning scrum.
That Keefe was jocular, defusing the situation, was good news.
The fear about Samsonov was real. He fell to the ice after taking a shot, stayed down for about 10 seconds, was helped to his feet and left the skate early.
“Hopefully it was just a stinger,” said teammate Bobby McMann.
Keefe confirmed Samsonov simply took a shot in a bad spot
The loss of Samsonov — just when he had returned to top form — would have been an untimely blow to a team already reeling with injuries and the playoffs quickly approaching.
The Leafs are without two of its top right wingers. Mitch Marner will miss his third game with what’s believed to be a high-ankle sprain. Calle Järnkrok injured his hand Thursday. In addition, depth defencemen Conor Timmins and Mark Giordano are on long-term injured reserve.
