Leafs get some good news in goal; projected starter for the Leafs for tonight's game against Colorado identified

The Leafs are back in action on Wednesday night after a day off on Tuesday. As the Buds welcome the Avs to Toronto, it's looking increasingly likely that Ilya Samsonov will make his return to the crease. Samsonov suffered an undisclosed injury recently and was not able to start against Buffalo on Monday.

The news comes at a good time for the Leafs, as Matt Murray has allowed 4 goals in each of his last 5 starts. Sheldon Keefe did come to the defense of Murray following Monday's loss against Buffalo, stating that it was the team in front of him that was responsible for the loss, revealing that, in his mind, Murray played very well.

Samsonov was back on the ice with the Leafs at Wednesday morning's skate, going through the routine of a regular game-day starting goaltender, occupying the home net and departing early. The 25-year-old has provided the Leafs with quality goaltending all season long, minus the odd hiccup. With the high-octane Avalanche coming off of a blowout 8-4 win over the Habs on Monday, the Leafs will need to play a much tighter game to avoid dropping another game and giving up some ground to Tampa.

Samsonov has posted a .909 SV% or better in 3 of his last 4 starts and owns a 23-8-2 record in 33 appearances for the Leafs this season.