"F*ck that sh*t": Samsonov not looking back after Leafs shut out Sabres
Ilya Samsonov isn’t dwelling on his past struggles after he and the Toronto Maple Leafs shut out the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night.
The 27-year-old Russian goaltender was excellent for the Leafs, stopping all 34 shots that the Sabres managed to throw at him. It was a much better game for Samsonov than the last time he suited up for the Leafs in Buffalo.
Back in mid-December, Samsonov let in five goals on 15 shots against the Sabres before being pulled in an embarrassing 9-3 loss. It’s a night that the former first-round pick would rather not talk about.
The Athletic’s Joshua Kloke had the quote.
Ilya Samsonov on his shut out after losing 9-3 the last time he was in Buffalo: āWhat happened last time? Nine goals? Fuck that shit.ā
— Joshua Kloke (@joshuakloke) March 31, 2024
Safe to say that last night’s shutout is a much better memory for Samsonov. Maple Leafs fans made the win that much more special for him as well, chanting his name in the Sabres arena.
It’s something he definitely noticed.
Samsonov is saluting the crowd after the game@Bonsie1951 pic.twitter.com/0sAzQb8mlr
— John šØš¦ #BacktheBlue #BlueLivesMatterš (@Toronto_John63) March 31, 2024
Samsonov now has a 20-6-7 record on what has been the tale of two seasons. He had a rough first half and spent a week down in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies. For a time, there was quite a goaltending controversy in Toronto.
Samsonov has won six of his last eight games and has a .927 save percentage in that span. If all keeps going according to plan, he should be the team’s starting goaltender once the playoffs get going later this month, though that could wind up being a hard decision.Ā