The Leafs may have pulled off the win against the Oilers on Saturday night but they lost Ilya Samsonov to an injury.
With just under four minutes left in the third period, the Oilers got within two goals thanks to a power play goal by Leon Draisaitl. While in the act of shooting, Samsonov slid across to try and make the save but was in discomfort and remained down on the ice for a while. He was able to get to the dressing room without the assistance of the training staff but it was clear from the footage that he was still in pain.
Martin Jones went in to finish the game where he made five saves and played 3:39 to help preserve a 6-3 win. Samsonov had stopped 31 of 34 shots before his ailment.
Fortunately for Leafs fans, Sheldon Keefe provided a positive update after the game when he told reporters that Samsonov was going to be okay and that the injury was not as bad as it looked. Although Keefe did not provide much more than that, it certainly is encouraging that the Russian goalie should be fine.
Had this injury been more severe, the Leafs would have been prepared to fill the void since Jones and Joseph Woll are already on the main roster. They could have called up Dennis Hildeby if they needed that third-stringer around but it’s more likely he only would get a call-up if more ailments occurred. Even Matt Murray could soon be an option as he was seen at a recent practice getting some work in before the main session.
All of which is to say that the Leafs would have had no trouble weathering the storm if Samsonov’s injury was more severe. But because he was deemed to be okay by his coach they should be able to carry on as normal.
Given that Toronto is off to Carolina for a Sunday evening game for the second half of a back-to-back, you can expect the team to exercise caution and not dress him so that he has a chance to recover. This way he should be fully cleared to go if they opt to start him for the game after that on Tuesday against the Devils.
The Leafs will take on the Hurricanes tomorrow night, where you can catch the action on Sportsnet with puck drop scheduled for 6 p.m. EST.
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