Sheldon Keefe gives Ilya Samsonov the nod in net as Maple Leafs kick off trip against Blues
Keefe #Keefe
ST. LOUIS — Ilya Samsonov won’t have to wait any longer to try to get his game back to a place where he finds it acceptable.
Samsonov will be in net on Tuesday night at the Enterprise Center when the Maple Leafs end their Christmas break against the St. Louis Blues to start a three-game trip.
When we most recently heard from Samsonov last Thursday, he was lamenting giving up “bad goals” following a victory against the Philadelphia Flyers at Scotiabank Arena and was looking forward to getting a mental rest during the Leafs’ four-day break.
Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe took into consideration a few factors in deciding to start Samsonov, and not Matt Murray, against the Blues. Part of it was taking into account Murray’s groin injury earlier this season and the fact that following the win against Philly, the Leafs had not been on the ice until the morning skate on Tuesday.
“Giving (Murray) a little bit more time to get back in the net and get a couple of days and get ready for Arizona (on Thursday) made sense,” Keefe said. “At the same time, it gives Ilya a chance to get right back in. He hasn’t been happy with his starts the last couple of times out.”
The Leafs will play the Coyotes in two days before finishing the trip on Saturday in Denver against the Colorado Avalanche.
After losing back-to-back road games, the Leafs went into the break with home victories against Tampa Bay and Philadelphia. The Blues lost their last two games before the break after winning four in a row.
Leafs captain John Tavares was glad for the break, but happy to be back on the ice.
“It was great to get a little recharge, spend the holidays with family,” Tavares said. “Last two Christmases for me have been pretty isolated (because of COVID) so it was nice to get back with family, especially the age my boys are (both under four).
“Looking forward to getting back at it today. We talked about not having the break stall our momentum, but continue to springboard us forward.”
For the Leafs coaching staff, there was a double dose of encouragement during the morning skate, as injured defencemen Rasmus Sandin and Morgan Rielly both participated.
Sandin has missed one game after suffering a neck injury last Tuesday against Tampa Bay; Rielly has missed the past 14 games after he suffered a knee injury against the New York Islanders on Nov. 21.
“Both guys look like they’re moving well, and doing well, so it was a good step for them,” Keefe said. “I suspect we’ll see them both in practice tomorrow and then make a determination for the remainder of the trip from there.
“I would call them both day to day at this point, but there has been nothing definitive come my way in terms of when they will get back in.”
Forward Dryden Hunt, meanwhile, will have to continue to wait to make his Leafs debut after he was acquired last week from the Colorado Avalanche.
“It was a tough call, because we do want to get him in,” Keefe said.
“At the same time, we don’t necessarily see a reason to disrupt the lineup. We have liked what we have seen from Joey Anderson and want to continue to give him an opportunity. Throughout the rest of the lineup, we’re happy with the guys. We’ll get him in practice tomorrow and make a decision after that.”
Whether Blues forward Jordan Kyrou (upper body) plays will be a game-time decision, St. Louis coach Craig Berube said, though Kyrou said he would be in.
With defenceman Torey Krug placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, it’s expected ex-Leaf Calle Rosen will draw into the Blues lineup and play for the first time since Dec. 8.
The projected Leafs lineup for Tuesday night:
FORWARDS
LW-C-RW
Michael Bunting-Auston Matthews-William Nylander
Calle Jarnkrok-John Tavares-Mitch Marner
Alex Kerfoot-David Kampf-Pierre Engvall
Zach Aston-Reese-Pontus Holmberg-Joey Anderson
DEFENCE
Mark Giordano-Justin Holl
TJ Brodie-Conor Timmins
Jordie Benn-Timothy Liljegren
GOAL
Ilya Samsonov
Matt Murray
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