“Just have to be better” – Matt Murray misses SPOTLIGHT as Ilya Samsonov delivers 5-4 OT victory against Panthers

<strong>“Just have to be better” – Matt Murray misses SPOTLIGHT as Ilya Samsonov delivers 5-4 OT victory against Panthers</strong>

Ilya Samsonov [Image Credit: ESPN]

Toronto Maple Leafs’ goalie Matt Murray handed down the spotlight to his competitor Ilya Samsonov after the former allowed 4 goals on 8 shots in their play against the Panthers on Tuesday. On the other hand, Samsonov captured the moment to shine brightly after stopping Panthers’ attacks, leading the Leafs to a 5-4 OT victory.

The No. 1 goalie position is open for both Samsonov and Murray, so the competition is fierce. Prior to starting off the Stanley Cup run the team would like to see the position filled, but as of now, both have produced tied results. This regular season helped Samsonov improve his record by 13-4-1, whereas Murray strolled by 11-5-2. 

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Murray improved his performance but fell short to deliver the results. Coach Sheldon Keefe is also confused and looks out for who can conquer the No. 1 post. In their, December run the goalie duo had 16 regular season games, only to blast off impressive saves in the last few Toronto Maple Leafs’ games.

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Fierce competitive air lingers between Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov

Ilya Samsonov and Matt Murray [Image Credit: Maple Leafs Insider/Toronto Star]
Ilya Samsonov and Matt Murray [Image Credit: Maple Leafs Insider/Toronto Star]

After Matt Murray allowed 4 goals, he was called off the ice on which the goalie commented, “I just have to be better, that’s the bottom line”. “If I come up with a couple of those then it’s obviously a much different game.”

Ilya Samsonov on the other hand made 1 start in the last 5 games, as he made 11 saves on 11 shots, leading the team to victory. Back during January 11 game against Detroit Red Wings, he allowed 3 goals on 22 shots in a 4-1 loss to the Red Wings.

Samsonov explained what he thinks prior to starting a game, “I was ok with this”. “We both prepare for the game.” Choosing Murray for the game against Panthers was due to his lack of participation in earlier games, as per Keefe. 

He indicated that Murray didn’t get many home season games to play and it went into consideration of the decision. As of now, the last 2 games have been disappointing for Murray and he knows it better than anyone. Though in times he showed off his goaltending skills, he failed to pass the last game’s test.

Fortunately for him, Murray has a lot of time to put out his best plays as both goalies are aware of their weak and strong points. Though it is not possible to replicate the same intensity of the Stanley Cup run into the regular-season energy, the games against Boston Bruins and Panthers provided the team clues on the starting goalie.

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