Toronto Maple Leafs’ Ilya Samsonov leaves Game 3, replaced by Joseph Woll

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov was pulled from Game 3 against the Florida Panthers on Sunday after a collision in the first minute of the second period.

Samsonov needed help off the ice after Leafs defenseman Luke Schenn slid into Samsonov’s left leg on an attempted block. Samsonov stopped all seven shots he faced in the first period and one chance from Anthony Duclair early in the second.

Kyle Dubas just went over to Matt Murray here in the pressbox. Presumably to tell him to be ready as EBUG.

— David Alter (@dalter) May 7, 2023

Backup goaltender Joseph Woll was called in to replace Samsonov, but allowed a power-play goal to Anthony Duclair on just his second shot on a breakaway chance.

Samsonov has dealt with a couple of injuries this season, including a knee injury back in November. He also missed time near the end of the regular season with an undisclosed injury. Television broadcasts have also shown Samsonov slow to get up early in the series.

Samsonov has an up-and-down playoff run, posting a 4-4-0 record with a .895 save percentage through eight games heading into Sunday. Samsonov made at least 31 saves in four of the six games against Tampa Bay, helping the Leafs win a first-round series for the first time since 2004.

Woll made four saves on five shots in his only previous playoff effort this year in a 7-3 loss to Tampa Bay in Game 1 of the first round. The 24-year-old had a 6-1-0 record with a .932 save percentage in seven starts with the Leafs and a 16-4-1 record in 21 games with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.

Matt Murray, who hasn’t played since April 2, was called to Toronto’s room to serve as the team’s backup for the rest of the game. Murray, who dealt with his own injury issues this year, had a 14-8-2 run with the Leafs during the regular season, his first year with the club.