Samsonov owns difficult Game 1 performance: 'I played like shit today'
Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov vowed to improve after allowing six goals in Tuesday's 7-3 loss in Game 1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
"I will be better. I played like shit today," Samsonov said, per TSN's Chris Johnston.
The Lightning got to Samsonov early, opening the scoring in the highly-anticipated first-round rematch just 1:18 into the first period thanks to a net-front goal from Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.
Tampa Bay added two more in the opening frame before blowing the game wide open with three successive power-play tallies in the final 5:31 of the second period. Toronto handed the reins to Joseph Woll for the final stanza with the contest out of reach.
Samsonov had a strong bounce-back season between the pipes after signing a one-year deal with the Leafs in free agency, posting a 27-10-5 record with a .919 save percentage. However, he now owns a 1-7 career record in the playoffs with a 3.45 goals-against average and .895 clip.
Woll has 12 NHL starts under his belt, none of which came in the playoffs. Toronto is without veteran goaltender Matt Murray, who sustained a concussion late in the regular season.
Game 2 goes Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.