Amid Auston Matthews and William Nylander missing games in the playoffs, not much has been said about the health of the goaltending tandem. A healthy goaltender is both physically and mentally healthy, someone who thrives under pressure and finds energy in it. Should the Toronto Maple Leafs look elsewhere to find quality goaltending? What the Maple Leafs Learned About Their Goaltending in the Playoffs In the first-round seven-game series against their old enemy the Boston Bruins, Ilya Samsonov was in net for five games and only won one.
He was on duty for Game 1, the game that sets the tone for the series, in which each team makes its opening statement. By surrendering four goals on 24 shots, Samsonov didn’t give the Maple Leafs a chance to win. In Game 2, he bounced back in spectacular fashion in their 3-2 win, turning away 27 of the 29 shots faced and posting a .
931 save percentage (SV%). Still in net for Game 3, he gave up three goals on 33 shots posting a .909 SV%; the game where Bruins’ captain Brad Marchand skated by the bench saying the series would be done in five games.
In Game 4, Samsonov surrendered three goals on 17 shots and head coach Sheldon Keefe had seen enough. He yanked the Russian from the game to replace him with Joseph Woll . The 25-year-old was perfect, stopping the five shots he faced during the 17-odd minutes he manned the net.
Woll was Keefe’s choice for the next two games which the Maple Leafs won. The goaltender was the starter for two 2-1 wi.
