Ilya Samsonov will be in the Maple Leafs’ net on Sunday afternoon when the club plays host to the Washington Capitals.
As for the status of fellow netminder Matt Murray, the Leafs were not certain.
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Murray was undergoing further tests on Saturday for an ankle injury that reared up and kept him from making a start against the Ottawa Senators on Friday night.
Samsonov was given a maintenance day on Saturday and did not practise at the Ford Performance Centre.
With the Toronto Marlies playing in Manitoba, the Leafs used three amateur goalies, including regular participant Andrew D’Agostini, for practice.
“It has been something that he has been been dealing with for a while and it had settled,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “He had been going through his workouts fine, but it had flared up on him a little bit and he didn’t feel comfortable playing, the medical team held him out.”
The Leafs had been wary of starting Samsonov against Ottawa, considering his recent heavy workload. Murray was supposed to start, but following warmup, made the decision with the medical staff that he could not work that night.
Samsonov went in and got no support from teammates in a 6-2 shellacking by the Senators, amounting to the Leafs’ worst home game of the season.
Though Murray sat on the bench, the Leafs would have been forced to use an emergency backup goalie had Samsonov been hurt.
Against Washington, Samsonov will start for the sixth game in a row and make his seventh consecutive appearance after relieving Murray versus Florida on Jan. 17.
“From his perspective, he would like to play every day, so I don’t think that’s a big deal that way,” Keefe said of Samsonov. “It is important for us to manage it as best we can, but given the circumstances, we’re going to get him back in there. We wanted him to have the day off (Friday), it didn’t work out that way. But we want him play (Sunday) for sure.”
The Leafs had not officially recalled a goalie from the Marlies, as Keefe said they were waiting to get further word on Murray’s status. Still, it would be odd if neither Joseph Woll nor Erik Kallgren got the call to join the team in Toronto.
Even with just two games before the all-star break/bye week, the Leafs will keep their fingers crossed that Murray’s injury is not serious.
BRODIE ON TAP?
There’s a good chance defenceman TJ Brodie will return to the Leafs lineup on Sunday after he missed the past 10 games with a rib injury.
Brodie was paired with Morgan Rielly at practice and said that as long as he got through the following 24 hours without a setback, he figured on playing. Brodie has been out since he was hurt against Detroit on Jan. 7.
“I felt good, took a couple bumps, which was nice,” Brodie said following practice. “I’ve never had a rib issue. It’s just more annoying than anything, breathing and catching your breath.”
The other pairs on Saturday were those we’ve also come to know — Mark Giordano was with Justin Holl, and first-round picks Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren were together. The fourth pairing was Jordie Benn with Conor Timmins.
“He increases our depth greatly and he’s a vital piece of our defence corps,” Keefe said of Brodie. “It slots everybody else in well and also spreads out the minutes, so definitely a welcome addition.”
Brodie has missed a total of 22 games this season because of injuries.
EASTER SEALS SMILES
After practice, the Leafs players took part in the team’s 43rd annual Easter Seals Skate for Kids, singing autographs on the ice and getting a chance to hang out for a bit with some of their biggest fans.
Rielly and Michael Bunting said that the line of questioning from the kids was, shall we say, to the point. And both players loved it.
“Got some interesting questions, mostly about when I’m going to score,” said Rielly, who has no goals in 35 games. “It’s fun. In Toronto, we have great support from a wide range of people and a huge fan base. On a day like today to be on our practice ice with young men and women and to chat with them and interact is truly a lot of fun. You can’t help but smile.”
Said the always talkative Bunting: “I had a lot of kids ask me to chirp them and I started laughing. That was pretty funny, but I wouldn’t let my secrets out. Growing up here, I know how passionate the fans are for us. We were excited to see them and give back. It was definitely a fun day.”
In its history, Easter Seals has raised $7.3-million to help empower children with physical disabilities.
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