The Leafs find themselves down 2-0 in their second round series against the Panthers despite the solid play offensively by the team.
A big reason why Toronto has fallen in a big hole is due to the strong play of Sergei Bobrovsky. Through the first two games, he has limited the Leafs to just four goals despite facing 36 high danger chances against and saving over five goals above expected. The goaltending matchup was going to play a key factor in this series, and Bobrovsky has decided to return to his 2019 form thus far.
On the other end, Ilya Samsonov has made some saves when his team asked him to do it but also gave up a few back breaking goals. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to determine who is currently winning the goalie battle as the series shifts to Southern Florida.
After Game 2, Samsonov was asked about his fellow countrymen’s strong showing up to that point and he did not hold back.
Samsonov on Bobrovsky playing well: “I don’t give a fuck.”
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) May 5, 2023
There are two ways to look at a hilarious quote like this one.
On one hand, Samsonov has the right attitude about it and is not deterred. He knows he has a job to do and won’t let what Bobrovsky has done thus far weigh on him mentally.
On the other hand, what else was Samsonov supposed to say? He has his own things to deal with and should instead be more preoccupied with finding ways to be better the rest of the series.
Either way, Leafs fans needed a quote like this to make them smile for a moment, which is Samsonov’s speciality with the media. A brief distraction won’t erase the fact that the Leafs had so many chances to score but only have four to show of it, but a laugh won’t hurt anyone.
The series shifts to Florida for Game 3 on Sunday where the Leafs look to avoid being in an insurmountable hole. Pick drop is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. EST and you can watch it on Sportsnet or CBC.
