Leafs' Samsonov says he made the right decision on overtime elimination goal
For the fourth time in 11 years, the Toronto Maple Leafs blew it in a Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
The nail-biting Saturday contest came down to the wire in overtime as Bruins forward David Pastrnak slipped one past Leafs goalie Ilya Samsonov while on a breakaway.
And with that, Toronto’s season was over.
While the Leafs were cleaning out their locker rooms on Monday morning, reporters asked Samsonov to relive the disappointment of that moment. Criticized by some for not being aggressive enough as Pastrnak moved in for the kill, Samsonov stood by the way he read the play.
“I don’t think about [the] last goal a lot because I think my decision was good,” he said. “I was watching this moment 20 times, maybe more, but still, I [made] some right decisions.”
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Defenceman Morgan Rielly, who was also on the ice for the overtime goal, said he feels this year’s elimination “more than ever.” When asked how often he’s thought about the final seconds of the series, he simply said, “A lot.”
Samsonov, who lost the role of start to Joseph Woll earlier in the series, was forced to come in for the sudden-death road game as Woll dealt with an undisclosed injury. Logging a 3.01 GAA and .896 SV% in these playoffs, the 27-year-old was the first to admit that he needs to be better.
“I need to play better… It’s not about how we defend or, like the power play, whatever is going on. I need to be better for this team,” he said. “I don’t remember a time I felt like shit like right now.”
Set to become a UFA in the summer as his one-year, $3.5 million deal expires, Samsonov also expressed a desire to stay in Toronto.
“I love this city. Love everybody on this team.”
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