‘We need to keep him involved’: Maple Leafs’ Sheldon Keefe explains decision to start cagainst Senators on Saturday
Kanata, Ontario — The Toronto Maple Leafs have been riding Ilya Samsonov’s momentum for the past five starts, as the Russian goaltender has rediscovered his groove. However, Martin Jones will score when the club plays the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre.
“We need to keep him involved,” Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe stated. “At the same time, it gives Samsonov a couple of practice days here.”
Jones last appeared on January 20, when he gave up six goals on 21 shots in a 6-4 loss against the Vancouver Canucks. Prior to the game, the goaltender was heavily relied on as Samsonov failed to find his game and Joseph Woll continued to recuperate from a high-ankle sprain suffered on December 7.
Woll’s injury occurred in Kanata, and Jones made his Maple Leafs debut. Jones was called up as Woll’s backup due to a sickness bug that affected Samsonov, and he made nine saves on ten shots in a 4-3 win over the Senators.
Woll continues to drill and joins his teammates during morning skate sessions, but there is no solid schedule for when the goalkeeper could return to game action. Jones has fared admirably for a goalkeeper who joined the Leafs as their third option in net. He has a 9-6-1 record with a.911 save percentage.
“He’s done a really good job for us and got us through a tough period of time,” Keefe said of Jones. “He needs to remain part of things especially as we are awaiting things with Joe Woll to come back.”
The choice to rest Samsonov for this game makes sense. During his start against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday, he was hesitant to get up after making a save. When asked about the specific play, he joked that he was simply getting older. And, while he’s been able to get some work done, it makes sense to give the Russian goaltender the day off.
