*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact” button at the top of the page.
*******
The Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Tampa Bay Lightning in a contest that could go a long way in solidifying their hold on a top three spot in the Atlantic Division and potentially move them closer to earning home ice advantage in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs two-plus weeks from now.
Toronto is currently six points ahead of the Lightning in the battle for third place, and four points in back of the second place Florida Panthers with two games in hand. After losing 6-4 to the Leafs on Monday, the Panthers followed that with a poor effort in a 5-3 loss to the Canadiens in Montreal. A win over the Lightning would move Toronto eight points up with seven games to play, and close them to within two points of Florida.
On the injury front, the Leafs will be getting Morgan Rielly back in the lineup, with veteran Mark Giordano sitting. Defenseman Joel Edmundson took part in the morning skate at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday, inching closer to a return from an unspecified injury. Mitch Marner is targeting Saturday in Montreal for his return, and Calle Jarnkrok worked with the club’s skills coaches before the morning skate.
After two victorious starts against Buffalo and Florida, Ilya Samsonov backup to Joseph Woll against Tampa. Samsonov’s two bad starts against the Lightning early in the season were the first warning signs of his problems later in the year, as he allowed seven goals on 16 shots and was pulled in favor of Woll, who played well in both comeback wins.
*******
In a look at all three aspects of the roster for the upcoming playoffs, the Maple Leafs goaltending starter for Game 1 may not be etched in stone, but head coach Sheldon Keefe has a chisel and hammer in hand and appears to be leaning towards Ilya Samsonov.
“I think he is definitely getting close to that. He is the goalie of record to help us win our first playoff series in a very long time in this city. There is that, first of all.” Keefe said after the win over the Panthers on Monday.
“The other part of it is him finding himself with his game. He has certainly done that. It was another good effort for him again. It was a tough third period for our group and for him, but he made some big saves for us again tonight. He is certainly building a lot of momentum.”
After being recalled and reinserted after a reset in January, Samsonov has the second-most wins in the NHL, with a 16-3-1 record, 2.48 GAA and .913 save %, but there still could be some hesitancy after how bad he was in the first half of the season of a recurrence.
Woll was fantastic before his high ankle sprain in early December, and since returning has been unable to recapture his previous form (3-4-0, 3.03 GAA, .893 save %) on a consistent basis.
“Woll got some experience last year, too, and he will be hungry. Our job is to have two goalies thriving and ready to go for when the playoffs come.” Keefe said.
Veteran Martin Jones has extensive playoff experience from his years in San Jose and last season with Seattle and is a valuable third option if either goalie gets hurt.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»