Capitals' Samsonov makes 1st start since mid-January

Washington Capitals goaltender Ilya Samsonov started against the New Jersey Devils on Sunday afternoon, returning to the crease exactly six weeks after his previous NHL appearance.

Samsonov last played Jan. 17 in his second start of 2021. He entered this season as the Capitals' No. 1 netminder but landed on the NHL's COVID-19 protocol list on Jan. 20 and reportedly tested positive.

The league placed the 24-year-old on its list along with Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Dmitry Orlov, and the team later admitted the players had violated protocol by interacting in a hotel room. The NHL fined the Capitals $100,000.

Ovechkin and Orlov returned in late January and early February, respectively. Samsonov initially rejoined the Capitals for practice along with Kuznetsov on Feb. 8, and while the forward resumed playing for Washington on Feb. 14, the team assigned Samsonov to its AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, for a conditioning stint on that date.

Samsonov played four games for the Bears, going 2-1-1 with an .869 save percentage. He earned a victory while stopping 25 of 28 shots Friday against the Binghamton Devils.

The Capitals rode rookie Vitek Vanecek heavily in Samsonov's absence. The 25-year-old started 16 of Washington's 17 games from Jan. 19 through Saturday. He's gone 9-4-3 with a .909 save percentage and 0.8 goals saved above average in 17 contests this season.