Sheldon Keefe appears to have chosen his playoff goaltender
It looks like the Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe chose which goaltender he'll use to start the playoffs.
Tonight's game will have playoff vibes. The Leafs are set to face the Panthers and could officially get their ticket for the first round.
Sheldon Keefe sends Ilya Samsonov tonight against the Florida Panthers in possible playoff berth-clinching game
Keefe decided to send Ilya Samsonov between the pipes tonight as they try to earn their ticket to the playoffs.
"Ilya Samsonov doing his starting routine at Leafs skate
No surprise that he'll get the call against Panthers."
The stakes are as high as they'll be in playoffs, meaning that what we see tonight will have an immediate impact on Keefe's decision on his playoffs starter.At the Leafs' last game, we saw the same Sammy that was dominating in last year's first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Despite past struggles, Samsonov is the best choice to start the playoffs.
While he may have had his share of struggles this season, Samsonov managed to bounce back, an important quality for any professional athlete.
If he can stay in the same mindset for the remainder of the season and going into the playoffs, he should play every game in the quest for the Stanley Cup.
Do you think Ilya Samsonov will get the start for the first game of the playoffs?
POLL |
Do you think Sheldon Keefe made the right choice for his playoff goaltender? |
Yes | 355 | 83.3 % |
No | 71 | 16.7 % |
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