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Fans on X compared the Toronto Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov's goaltending woes to that of the demoted Edmonton Oilers goalie Jack Campbell, following a humiliating 9-3 away defeat to the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.
The Leafs suffered their biggest defeat of the season. Meanwhile, the Sabres, who lost 9-4 to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday, rebounded with a stellar performance, scoring as many goals against Toronto.
Ilya Samsonov entered Thursday's contest with a .878 SV%, and when coach Sheldon Keefe was asked about starting him, he said Samsonov needs to play to get that record snapped.
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Several Leafs fans were optimistic about their goalie to bounce back with a strong performance. Unfortunately, for Samsonov, the effort did not go well, as his struggles continued against the flying Buffalo Sabres.
Ilya Samsonov was pulled after conceding five goals on 19 shots. He was replaced by Martin Jones, who ended the contest by conceding four goals on 15 shots.
In his previous two starts, the 26-year-old goalie conceded six goals against the Blue Jackets and four against the New York Islanders.
Goaltending has become a major issue for the Leafs moving forward into the season, and with Samsonov's continued struggles, it has become a difficult task to justify his start.
Here's what fans on X, formerly Twitter, said about Samsonov's goaltending woes. One fan tweeted:
"He's Jack Campbell 2.0. He can't handle the mental game. Needs to go immediately. He's not gonna figure it out."
Here are some more reactions on X:
"The last couple of games is so tough": Ilya Samsonov speaks on his goaltending struggles
Samsanov has a record of 5-2-5 in 14 games with a 3.79 goals-against-average and a .871 SV%. This is the second season for the 26-year-old netminder in Toronto.
Following the 9-3 loss, Ilya Samsonov reflected on his goaltending struggles, saying that the last couple of games were extremely difficult for him and that he needs to figure out everything.
“It's tough,” Samsonov said (via NHL.com). “It's tough right now. The last couple of games is so tough. I need to figure out everything in my head. That's the first (thing). It's not about technique, it's not about, you know, it's not about nothing. Just in the head. That's what I'm seeing and I just need to figure [it] out.”
Meanwhile, the Toronto Maple Leafs are second in the Atlantic Division with 38 points after 30 games. They'll be heading into Columbus to face the Blue Jackets on Saturday. The puck drops at 7 p.m. ET.
