Leafs name starting goaltender for tonight's game against Florida
So far this season, the Leafs net has been evenly divided between Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov. Both goaltenders have had their ups and downs, and both have taken on primary starting roles while the other was injured. Based on preseason expectations, both goaltenders have done extremely well, but come playoff time, only one will be occupying the net for most of the games. Eventually, the Leafs will have to choose a number 1.
For the first time since having both goaltenders healthy, Matt Murray will start consecutive games. He's coming off of a so-so outing against the Bruins that saw the Leafs drop their second straight game, but his game has been stronger than Samsonov's of late. This would indicate that Murray has, for now, been designated as the 1A to Samsonov's 1B.
Since arriving in Toronto in what is now looking like a hilariously one sided trade, the 2-time Stanley Cup winner has re-established himself as a solid NHL goaltender. In 18 games, he has a record of 11-5-2 with a 2.56 GAA and a .917 SV%. More importantly for the Leafs, Murray is a proven playoff performer, in 51 games, he has a .921sv%, the 6th highest mark among goaltenders with 50 or more playoff games since the 04-05 lockout.
Don't expect Murray to be asked to carry the entire load going forward. The Leafs will use Samsonov to lighten the load, but come Game 1 this spring, expect to see Murray between the pipes.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 17 | 261 ANSWERS Leafs name starting goaltender for tonight's game against Florida Who will be the Leafs starting goaltender in the playoffs | ||
| Murray | 160 | 61.3 % |
| Samsonov | 70 | 26.8 % |
| Kallgren | 8 | 3.1 % |
| Woll | 23 | 8.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
