TORONTO — A tie game.
A 10-bell sprawling glove save, robbing J.T. Compher at the doorstep.
And a rising chant of joy that many believed would never ring throughout Scotiabank Arena again:
“Sam-my!… Sam-my!… Sam-my!”
Alas, the comeback game for Ilya Samsonov — 16 days after waiting and wondering and hand-wringing — does not have a storybook ending for the Toronto Maple Leafs, nor their embattled goaltender.
For moments after Samsonov’s slick thievery on Compher, Timothy Liljegren couldn’t handle the forecheck. A failed defensive zone clear resulted in a passing play out front, and Andrew Copp snapped the game-winner from the slot, completing a Detroit Red Wings comeback with under two minutes to go.
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Another blown lead on home ice. Another loss. This one 4-2, with an empty-netter.
Despite giving up two points to a division rival that arrived late and lost a star player in the first period, the mere fact that Samsonov was not to blame felt like a small victory for a franchise that has been overworking its third-string goaltender and wondering who will step up and share the load.
“First, I’m so happy to be here,” said Samsonov. The goalie was humble and grateful for another chance. And, yes, he heard Toronto’s cheers of encouragement, which began with his first routine stop and thundered when he stoned Dylan Larkin and Michael Rasmussen on a shorthanded 2-on-1.
“I love those guys. It’s no secret for everybody. I love the fans. I love this city. I love to be here. I enjoy being here every day. Thank you so much. It’s amazing.”
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Credit the resilient Red Wings, who shut out all three Maple Leafs power-play attempts and limited the home team’s second-chance looks.
Give a hat-tip to the hockey gods, who broke Morgan Rielly’s stick on a one-timer attempt and gave Daniel Sprong a breakaway.
“S— happens,” said coach Sheldon Keefe, taking it easy on a team that has now blown three straight leads. “It’s hard to win 2-1.”
But don’t blame Samsonov.
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Yes, he is still seeking his first win in more than five weeks. But the eye test revealed a confident goaltender that came out of his crease with decisiveness, made 20 saves, and no stinkers.
Let’s not call it a resurgence. Let’s call it a baby step in the right direction. One to build on.
“I thought he battled his ass off,” Keefe praised. “It was the best I thought he looked all season.”
Internally, the debate about whether to even give Samsonov this start on the sluggish half of a back-to-back was a lengthy one that involved many voices. There was a strong temptation to hand 22-year-old Dennis Hildeby his first NHL start instead.
It wasn’t until Samsonov received a test message from goalie coach Curtis Sanford after Saturday’s 5-3 loss to Colorado that he knew he was going in.
“It’s a big decision for lots of reasons, both on Samsonov and Hildeby,” Keefe said. “It’s a bigger decision than just me or Curtis. You got a guy who is our No. 1 goalie, our highest-paid goalie, and you got a guy who’s our top prospect in Hildeby. It’s an organizational decision. You go through all the pros and cons of the whole thing, and you monitor the situation.”
Ultimately, the Leafs gave Samsonov another shot at redemption after his lengthy mental reset and multiple practices.
“He’s done the work,” Keefe said. “You gotta give him a chance to get back in and see if that made any sort of progress.
“This is a positive step forward. Obviously, a disappointing result.”
Compared to Samsonov’s previous four starts — in which he gave up five goals on average — this was progress.
“He made a couple of massive saves for us, and it was great to hear the fans chant his name again,” Mitch Marner said.
“Us as athletes put ourselves to a high standard, to be the best we can be every single game we play. And Sammy has been voicing his own opinion about his own game. And obviously, as a team, we want to be there for him to help him out as much as we can, to give him these chances to win.”
No winning yet. But Samsonov gave the Leafs a chance and, with another back-to-back looming next weekend, showed well enough to earn himself another start.
“I don’t want to focus on the big picture,” said Samsonov, now keeping his positioning and his press meeting tight. “Just small things every day.”
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Fox’s Fast Five
• Still on tilt from Saturday’s 5-3 loss to Colorado, Keefe went full blender Sunday, changing all four lines and two defence pairings.
Keefe explained he wanted to revisit the Max Domi–Marner pairing that thrived in the one win when Auston Matthews was sick. He was satisfied with his revamped top six, Marner’s line in particular. He was less thrilled with John Tavares and David Kämpf’s new units.
Tavares is in a mini slump: zero points and a minus-4 rating over his past four games.
Nick Robertson jumped in for the injured Bobby McMann (day-to-day with a minor undisclosed injury), and 40-year-old Mark Giordano was scratched in favour of Conor Timmins, seeing his first game action in 24 days.
• Lady Byng candidate Morgan Rielly played more than 40 games, piled up 34 points, and skated nearly 1,000 minutes (988:05) before getting whistled for his first penalty this season.
A remarkable feat for a defenceman.
Upon review, it’s actually William Nylander’s stick that hooked Joe Veleno — not Rielly’s. The streak should still be alive.
• Marner’s buttery give-and-go strike with Tyler Bertuzzi marked his 600th point.
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Marner is the fastest Maple Leaf to reach the milestone (548 games), nudging Darryl Sittler (584 games) into second place. Sittler held the record for more than 45 years.
• Patrick Kane took a couple hard falls in the first period, suffered a lower-body injury, and did not return.
Kane had found his groove offensively with his new club, piling 14 points in his past 12 games before arriving in Toronto.
“I don’t think it’s related to his hip,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “I don’t have all the information on it yet.”
• A Justin Holl tribute video was received with polite warmth. The man appeared in six seasons for the Leafs and won a Calder Cup with Keefe and the 2017-18 Toronto Marlies.
“I think he got a lot of hate — not deserved. I think he was a very good player for us. He did a lot of things that a lot of players really don’t like, and that’s sacrificing your body for plays, hits. Made some big plays,” Marner said.
“It was good to hear the fans give him some love. He deserves it. He deserved a lot more love than he got when he played here.”
