TORONTO — Fresh off what his coach believed to be a vintage No. 35 performance, goaltender Ilya Samsonov will get the nod to take the cage Wednesday night when his Toronto Maple Leafs host the Winnipeg Jets under the Scotiabank Arena lights.
Battling through a tumultuous 2023-24 campaign in Toronto that’s seen the 26-year-old relinquish the No. 1 spot to young Joseph Woll (who’s currently sidelined with an ankle injury) and take a disheartening spin through the waiver wire, Samsonov seemed to find his footing in recent weeks. The revival began with a solid effort in Detroit, continued through a solid week of practice, and took a key step forward in a winning performance against Seattle on Sunday.
“His focus and his preparation, all those kinds of things — his confidence — that’s what I’ve really seen an uptick on, in particular since that Detroit game,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said Tuesday from the club’s practice facility in Etobicoke, Ont. “His practices have been excellent since then. … He stayed hungry, he kept working. Quite honestly, I was not surprised that he had the type of game that he did the other night. Because he’s very much looked like himself, the Sammy that we came to know last season, over the last week in practice.”
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For the man himself, the clouds do seem to be clearing, and the game seems to be coming to him once again.
“I just live day by day,” Samsonov said Tuesday of his recent progress. “It’s more easy, life, right now. But I’m so motivated, I want to play every day, I want to stop the puck as hard as I can. But the first thing is I want to enjoy. The last couple months, I forgot how to enjoy the [game]. I just want to enjoy every moment right here.”
“We’re thrilled for him,” added Maple Leafs captain John Tavares. “We really wanted to put some good efforts in in front of him, do everything we can to provide enough run support for him to just kind of settle in and battle and compete. Because his skill-set is spectacular. So, just to see the confidence when he’s challenging shooters, fighting on second and third opportunities, or plays where they’re going lateral and he gets caught out of position — the save he made the other night was remarkable.
“You can just see when he’s fighting hard, and feeling confident, and challenging shots. We’re thrilled for him — he’s a big part of our team.”
Just as all eyes have been on the man in the cage rediscovering his game, many are currently trained on the Leafs captain, awaiting a similar return to form. Mired in one of the worst offensive stretches of his career — goal-less in nine, pointless in eight — the veteran said his focus isn’t on the goose eggs, but rather, on ensuring his overall approach remains consistent.
“You just try to refocus,” he said. “The next opportunity could be right there on that next shift, so you just want to be ready for it — not getting stuck on what happened, something that’s now out of your control, and in the past. [I just] continue to go out there and play well, do good things without the puck, have a good process throughout my game — just staying the course, knowing there will be more opportunities.
“It’ll go in, plays will happen. I’ll continue to trust my instincts. I don’t need to force the issue.”
The message from his coach was much the same.
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“The details of his game, to me, have been really good. And that’s what’s most important,” said Keefe of his captain. “At this time in his career, he has far greater perspective on what’s really important — he needs to help this team win. And of course producing on offence is part of that. But there’s way more to it. For me, if a couple pucks fall in for him but his habits are poor and all those kind of things, that does not help us win.
“That’s really the message, not only for him but for our entire team — those habits and details, the work, defending, all that stuff comes first. And the rest of it falls into place.”
Ask those around the 33-year-old, and there’s no doubting Tavares’ commitment to those habits, those details. While the point production may have escaped him for the time being, his teammates’ belief in his ability to push the squad forward remains unchanged.
“Johnny’s the ultimate pro. He’ll never waver from his routine, his work ethic,” fellow veteran, Mark Giordano, said of No. 91. “I know everyone likes to focus on goals and assists, but that’s not the only thing that wins hockey games. What was he, perfect on draws last game? Winning every little battle, plays well defensively, hard down low — I mean, we’ve got enough goals and assists. I think he leads the way by example, by how hard he plays night in and night out.
“There’s no issue with him going through a little bit of a rut offensively, because his overall game is great.”
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Both Samsonov and Tavares have a stiff test awaiting them as they continue on their twin paths, each trying to find their best for their club as this second half of the campaign commences. Out go the 23rd-ranked Kraken, and in come the Jets, currently the league’s third-best team, the Western Conference’s second-best, the Central Division’s leader.
Beyond simply a talented group that figures to be plenty to handle, the Jets’ arrival will grant these Leafs another thing to mull, according to their coach: what their own team could look like if they all came together, if they all bought in.
“They’re a really good example of what happens when you have a team that defends real hard, with elite goaltending, and high-end skill at the same time,” Keefe said of Wednesday’s opponent. “I think they’ve put their defence and goaltending first, and then they have the skill to be able to pull away to be able to win games. They’ve got a mindset as a group that they’ve found here this season.
“I think in lots of ways, when we’re playing at our best, our identity’s pretty similar in that sense. So it’s a great opportunity for us to go against one of the league’s best.”
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