Maple Leafs' Samsonov injured in Game 3 loss to Panthers
Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov departed Game 3 of their second-round series against the Florida Panthers in the second period after teammate Luke Schenn slid into him while trying to prevent a goal.
Ilya Samsonov is leaving tonight's game after this tough collision with Luke Schenn#LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/BgD0h5Qy2X
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) May 7, 2023
Another look at the Samsonov-Schenn collision#LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/lWLHEPYSyT
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) May 7, 2023
Samsonov was ruled out for the rest of the game at the start of the third period. Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe had no update on his netminder when asked about him postgame, according to TSN's Chris Johnston.
Joseph Woll came into the contest to replace Samsonov, and Panthers forward Anthony Duclair tied the game on the power play shortly thereafter. Woll stopped 18 of 21 shots. Florida forward Sam Reinhart buried the winner just over three minutes into overtime to give the Panthers a 3-0 series lead.
"(Woll is) ready for this," Keefe said.
Samsonov turned aside all eight shots he faced before exiting. The 26-year-old Russian started all of the Leafs' previous playoff games this spring. He entered Sunday's contest with a .895 save percentage in the playoffs after posting a .919 mark during the regular season.
Woll, who'll turn 25 in July, made his second appearance of the postseason Sunday. He relieved Samsonov for the third period of a 7-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of the first-round matchup. The American rookie spent most of the campaign with the AHL's Toronto Marlies.
Matt Murray is Toronto's third goaltender. The veteran, who'll turn 29 on May 25, hasn't played since he sustained a head injury in a loss to the Detroit Red Wings on April 2. He missed 17 games earlier in the season due to an ankle injury. However, Keefe said postgame that Murray is healthy and has been cleared to play, per Sportsnet's Luke Fox.
The Panthers will look to complete a sweep of the Maple Leafs in Game 4 on Wednesday night.