The Toronto Maple Leafs appear to be heavily focused on the details of their game right now, perhaps no one more so than Ilya Samsonov, who had himself a night in Buffalo on Saturday, posting 34 saves in a 3-0 shutout win. The Leafs netminder, who at one point this season found himself placed on waivers, has really found his form of late, but his win in Buffalo last night may have been his finest effort of the season. To outshine Auston Matthews on the night he scores his 60th of the season is no small feat, but highlight reel saves like this one truly stole the show.
The win marked Samsonov's first game back in Buffalo since an embarrassing 9-3 loss on December 21st, in which Samsonov was lit up for 5 goals on 24 shots on a night where the Sabres put up 9 goals on the Leafs. Clearly, he had this one marked on the calendar, because Samsonov came to play on Saturday.
Clearly, Samsonov is in an entirely different headspace now than he was in back in December. It's great to see him rebound and find his form directly before the playoffs. Between his excellent play and Joseph Woll's recent struggles, I see no reason why Samsonov isn't the Leafs' starter when the postseason begins.
