Ilya Samsonov snags a win in ‘emotional’ game vs. his former Capitals squad

Samsonov snags a win in ‘emotional’ game vs. his former team originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Ilya Samsonov is just one start into his tenure with his second NHL franchise. So far so good, as the Toronto Maple Leafs’ netminder essentially stonewalled the Washington Capitals in a 3-2 home victory.

Samsonov, 25, played the first three years of his NHL career in D.C., posting a cumulative .902 save percentage in 89 games as a Capital. He wasn’t re-signed this past offseason following a first-round loss to the Florida Panthers, though, and signed with Toronto on a one-year deal back in July.

“A lot of emotion, you know, in the first period,” Samsonov said of playing his former club. “First game with the Leafs for me, and with my old team, but I’m enjoying it you know. Get some smiles right now, win an important game for us. Everything’s good.”

Samsonov played well in his regular season debut up north, except for two shots that squeezed seven-hole on him which ended up being the only two Capitals’ goals on the night. He saved 24 of the 26 shots he faced for a .923 save percentage.

It could’ve easily been a three-goal night for Washington, though. Alex Ovechkin thundered a shot off the crossbar less than three minutes into the contest on what ended up being a fruitless power play. It was the first time Samsonov had the unenviable task of facing an Ovechkin one-timer in a game.

“I think so, yeah,” Samsonov said when asked if Ovechkin’s shots are harder in games than in practice. “His shot’s pretty good, you know. His puck [comes at you] pretty quick, but we got a lot of blocked shots. Defense played really good today.”

Samsonov had a chance to reunite with two of his former Capital teammates and countrymen postgame as well. He chatted with Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov in the tunnel after the final horn:

Washington dropped to 0-2-0 with Thursday’s loss in Toronto but has a chance to enter the win column as the team travels back home to host Montreal on Saturday.