Maple Leafs goaltending in doubt as Samsonov misses practice
Thereās doubt between the pipes once again for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
With Matt Murray still recovering from an ankle injury, the Maple Leafs wound up without Ilya Samsonov at practice on Friday morning because of illness.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe says the club will see how their number one goaltender is feeling on Saturday, but it leaves the decision of who will face the lowly Montreal Canadiens hanging in the balance.
āHeās out with an illness, so weāll see where heās at throughout the day and into tomorrow, and make a decision from there,ā Keefe told reporters, according to the Toronto Star.
Leafs practice getting underway
Ilya Samsonov is not on the ice @TSN_Edge pic.twitter.com/ooc7VrrbkV
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) February 17, 2023
While third goaltender Joseph Woll participated in Fridayās practice and also played last weekās 4-3 home loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, there are doubts surrounding whether he could see the ice on Saturday.
For Woll, the 2022-23 season has been a success as he boasts a 14-1 record and 0.931 save percentage with the Toronto Marlies in the American Hockey League after returning from a pair of injuries last year.
If not, Woll, who is the fourth goaltender the Leafs have called upon this season, the club could tip Erik Kallgren to start on Saturday after the 26-year-old Swede had a run of starts earlier in the season. With the Marlies, Kallgren has a .890 save percentage through 15 AHL games this season — heās played 10 games for the Leafs this season too.
Murray suffered an ankle injury last month before he was scheduled to face his former team, the Ottawa Senators, but still seems to be a fair time away from returning to NHL action.
āAnkle’s still not at the point where it’s allowing him to do everything’s that required to play goal in terms of his movements,ā Keefe said, according to TSNās Mark Masters.
As for a timeline for a return?
āNo,ā Keefe said.
Sheldon Keefe says Matt Murray is progressing well & putting in consistent work however:
"Ankle's still not at the point where it's allowing him to do everything's that required to play goal in terms of his movements …"
Any timeline for his return?
"No"@TSN_Edge
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) February 17, 2023
The Leafs take on back-to-back opponents this weekend, welcoming the Canadiens to Scotiabank Arena on Saturday night before playing at the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.
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