Ilya Samsonov is confident and playing well – and the Toronto Maple Leafs are better for it

One of the consistent knocks against the Toronto Maple Leafs over the years is the team’s inability to have a goaltender who can get it done in the playoffs.

However, Ilya Samsonov is slowly giving Leafs Nation confidence with his play as of late. Even though he was the guy who helped Toronto advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in 19 years, Samsonov struggled mightily earlier this season, so much so that he was briefly the third-string goaltender on the roster.

Samsonov is playing like a no. 1 goaltender, with wins in each of his last five starts, and nine of his last 11. Since January 1, the Russian netminder is 18-3-1 with a .915 save percentage. Even though he has been playing well, the team can turn Joseph Woll, who took the starting the job earlier this year, if Samsonov’s play goes south.

On Thursday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton explains why Samsonov’s recent body of work is both good for his self-confidence, as well as the team’s.

Carter Hutton: He’s a guy that openly struggled with his mental side of the game and how he felt. For me, I initially was like, “Why are you doing this? Why open up?” It’s almost paid dividends for him where the crowd has gotten behind him and they believe in him. It showed the human side of goaltending, and what we deal with during struggles during the year.

It’s impressive how he finds ways to win games, and I think the team answers the bell. For me, confidence is everything with him. Moving forward, he can be a difference-maker.

You can watch the entire segment, and the full episode here…