The Washington Capitals goaltender Ilya Samsonov is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury. With Samsonov out, Craig Anderson and Vitek Vanecek will be the team’s goalie duo moving forward. The team mentioned Samsonov’s injury would be re-evaluated before Saturday’s game versus the Philadelphia Flyers.
Samsonov is not on the ice. He's day-to-day with an upper body injury, per the #Caps.
— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) April 15, 2021
Ilya Samsonov Day-to-day
During only his second NHL season, Ilya Samsonov is playing pretty well. This season, Samsonov is 10-3-1 with a .889 save percentage and allowing for a 2.83 goals-against average. He last played against the Flyers on Tuesday; Samsonov finished the game with a 6-1 Victory and no signs of any real issues. While there is some speculation he took a shot to the mask they may have affected him. There are no signs to confirm this.
Over his short two-year NHL career, Samsonov has played for only the Washington Capitals. In that time, he has played in 41 games, with over half of those ending in wins. With a 26-9-3 record, a 2.66 goals-against average, and a .908 save percentage. Samsonov is the future goaltender of the Capitals. The Washington Capitals originally drafted him in the first round, 22nd overall in the 2015 NHL Entry draft.
What’s Next for Washington’s Goaltender
At the beginning of the 2020-21 season, the Washington Capitals and their fans were very excited about the goaltender situation heading into the season. With the team losing Braden Holtby to the Vancouver Canucks through free agency, everyone knew it was time to start fresh between the pipes. With Vanecek leading the charge, Samsonov has had plenty of chances to get his feet wet in the NHL. Looking forward, Samsonov has all the makings of a bonafide number one netminder in the nation’s capital.
With that, only 13 games remain for the Capitals. The team is currently sitting in first of the MassMutual East Division. Now that the team has only a two-point lead over the New York Islanders, every single game counts. Especially in a season where revenue is more important than ever. Moving forward, the Capitals will have to battle for every single point to ensure as easy a playoff run as possible.
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