‘I Was Surprised That They Kept (Ilya) Samsonov In For That Many Games’: Bruins’ Linus Ullmark Reflects on Stanley Cup Playoff Series Victory Against Maple Leafs

For the third time since 2013, the Toronto Maple Leafs suffered a Game 7 loss to the Boston Bruins at TD Garden – the seventh first-round exit in the past eight seasons. More recently, the season concluded with a 2-1 overtime loss in Game 7 to the Bruins after Toronto managed to nearly salvage a 3-1 deficit in the series. However, many questions arose about what had them there in the first place; injuries, lackluster play, decision-making, and, above all else, goaltending.

In an interview on Friday’s episode of Leafs Morning Take with Nick Alberga and Carter Hutton, the two spoke with Bruins’ Linus Ullmark to reflect on the playoff series against the Maple Leafs and the decisions made between the pipes. As the series progressed, Ullmark found himself puzzled by the Leafs’ commitment to stick with Ilya Samsonov as their starting goaltender.

“I was surprised that they kept [Ilya] Samsonov in for that many games against us in the playoffs,” said Ullmark. “I felt that every time we played the Leafs and he [Joseph Woll] was in net, it felt like it was more of a challenge even though I’m not a player. Just watching him, it looked like he was in so much more control of the situation that was thrown at him.”

Samsonov played in Games 1, 2, 3, and parts of 4 before he was pulled after allowing three goals on 17 shots. The 27-year-old returned for Game 7 after an injury plagued Joseph Woll, stopping 30 of 32 shots he faced. For the playoffs as a whole, Samsonov had a 1-3-1 record with a 3.01 goals against average and a .896 save percentage. As Ullmark mentions, inconsistent play can create chaos and uncertainty for the players in front of you.

“As a goalie and the players as well, they feed off of these things. If they see a guy that may be flopping around a little bit too much or leaving out crazy rebounds, feeling that you always have to struggle with it, then you get a little bit more on edge compared to if you have a goaltender that contains the puck or puts pucks in areas that are not a threat,” Ullmark explained.

Ullmark was in a situation similar to Samsonov, appearing only in Game 2, stopping 30 of 33 shots in a 3-2 Toronto victory before being sidelined for the remainder of the series due to the stellar play of Jeremy Swayman. However, as we know how the story unfolds, the Bruins rode the hot goaltender earlier than the Leafs did – which was a major factor in the overall result.

Now looking onwards, Ullmark had some positive things to say about Woll, who seems on the verge of a breakout if he can remain healthy.

“He’s just like every young goaltender nowadays, he’s just so technically sound,” Ullmark said. “I think the only thing that might stop him is the mental game. We all know that that doesn’t just happen overnight; it all comes down to experience. But again, he has come a long way in a short amount of time. I think he looks terrific. That’s my honest opinion; he looks like a really good goaltender.”

Whether or not the Samsonov/Woll tandem will remain intact remains to be seen. Samsonov is a pending unrestricted free agent and the Leafs have made it clear they are in search of a solid tandem to be paired with 25-year-old Woll. Nearly a week away from the opening of free agency, this picture should become more clear.

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