Goaltender Ilya Samsonov Projected Starter Against Philadelphia Flyers

Based On Practice This Morning, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe is expected to go with goaltender Ilya Samsonov to start against the Philadelphia Flyers tonight.

Sheldon Keefe Goes Back To Samsonov After Shootout Loss To Carolina Hurricanes.

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov appears to be getting the start tonight against the Flyers as Maple Leafs reporter David Alter noted this morning. The Leafs goaltender was seen completing his typical game-day routine at the team's practice, indicating that he will likely get the nod from Sheldon Keefe.





The goaltender recently suffered a minor injury during a practice with the Leafs but luckily it did not imped his ability to play that night. It seems that the injury has had no lasting effects on the netminder as he continues to get the lion's share of the starts for the Leafs, despite the fact that the team is currently running three goaltenders.

The Leafs are coming off a shootout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes where Samsonov and the rest of the team blew a two-goal lead in the dying minutes of the 3rd period. Apparently, this has not shaken Sheldon Keefe's faith in the goalie.

Toronto Maple Leafs Lose In Historic Fashion To Carolina Hurricanes

The loss was not a typical run-of-the-mill kind of loss for the Leafs. While the team has been known to lose games in dramatic fashion over the years, this one was extra special. The last time the team blew a two-goal lead with less than two-minutes left in the 3rd period was nearly two decades ago, also against the Hurricanes.



There must be something about the Hurricanes that the Leafs just can't figure out. The team regularly has meltdowns of epic proportion against the team. Perhaps their most famous regular season loss of the past twenty years also came against the Hurricanes back in the 2019-20 season when they lost to a zamboni driver that worked for them.

All of that being said, Leafs fans probably wouldn't complain too much if the team never had to play the Hurricanes ever again. In the meantime, they will look forward to the team's matchup against the Flyers where they will look to start their next winning streak.

As seen on Questionable decision from Sheldon Keefe raising some concerns in net in Toronto