Quick Shifts: Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov jacked up for ‘big game’ in Washington

A quick mix of the things we gleaned from the week of hockey, serious and less so, and rolling four lines deep. The hate is real, but the love is rented.

1. Saturday night.

Alex Ovechkin aims to match and pass Gordie Howe on the all-time goal list, and the last line of defence between he and history will be former teammate and fellow countryman Ilya Samsonov. 

Samsonov carries the NHL’s best save percentage (.939) and goals-against average (1.70) plus a ridiculous 152:34 shutout streak into his personal revenge game.

The Washington Capitals, remember, tried to trade away the first-round pick last spring and, when they couldn’t find a dance partner, let him walk for nothing.

Samsonov will have some friends in the stands and down the hall (he and Evgeny Kuznetsov were particularly tight).

“I’m not a bad guy,” he laughs.

He’s curious about the reception he’ll receive from a fan base that watched him loosen his grip on a No. 1 job and get bounced repeatedly in the first round of the postseason.

“A lot of good memories, especially for the first year. Not a lot the last couple of years. But this is life, yeah? I’m so excited to be here in Toronto,” Samsonov says.

“For sure, it’s a big game. Special for me. I’m so excited.

“I want to get the win.”

On the other side, Peter Laviolette says he’s pleased that Samsonov has found traction up north and wishes him well, but the Capitals coach doesn’t want to spend much time on a player no longer in his room.

“We have to figure out a way to put pucks behind him,” Laviolette says. “That’s our focus.”

Samsonov’s training has adapted since the sweater switch, and he appreciates seeing more game-like practice involving odd-man rushes. He also maintains that he’s in a better mental spot now.

A 9-2 record in your contract year will do that.

So, how does Samsonov evaluate his hot start with the Leafs? 

“We’ll see in June,” he smiles. “Right now, it doesn’t matter. We’ll see in the playoffs.”

Good answer.

2. Ovechkin should pass Wayne Gretzky’s other all-time goal record at some point this season.

Gretzky potted a record 56 empty-net goals over his career. Ovechkin is already up to 53, and it’s no secret he’s happy to juice his numbers 5-on-6.

Ovechkin led the NHL last season with nine ENGs and his five already this season are tied with Jake Guentzel for the league lead again.

3. Ovechkin has been the most public about it, but he’s certainly not the only Russian NHLer aligned with Vladimir Putin. 

Culturally, Russians are taught that support for the president and support for the country are one and the same.

So, how do you explain Artemi Panarin and his anti-Putin stance?

“He’s a freak in the matrix. A different type of person. Like, there's nothing in his bio that would suggest that you would be a kind of well-read, selfish thinker,” says Soviet-born American Slava Malamud, previously one of Russia’s premier sports journalists.

“He’s from Korkino, which is basically the equivalent of being from the bad part of Buffalo. I'm not exaggerating. It's a small industrial town with perpetually bad weather and a horrible hockey team. 

“He was brought up by his grandfather, who was a factory worker. He is a very simple type of kid. He doesn't have any pretensions or anything. But he reads the books, he reads websites that present an opposition type of point of view, and from how he expresses his views, I can gauge the fact he’s thought a lot about what's true and what's not. 

“He's a person who just doesn't accept everything that's presented to him in an official line.”

4. Two things can be true.

• The Maple Leafs, like any Cup contender, should absolutely explore the possibility of trading for Ryan O’Reilly or Patrick Kane.

• O’Reilly (–21) and Kane (–19) have the two worst plus/minus ratings of all forwards this season.

5. Pontus Holmberg — the Maple Leafs’ sixth-round find — is reaping praise from his coaches, teammates, and fans alike.

In a bottom six that has struggled for consistency and fixtured personnel, the Swede is a breath of fresh air.

His three-point showing against the Anaheim Ducks gives him seven points in his first 15 NHL games. He’s scored two game-winners.

Not too shabby for a guy that sees less than 10 minutes of ice per night.

What stands out to Mitch Marner about Holmberg? 

“A lot, man. That [Ducks] game, he was unreal. Seemed like he was all over the ice, backtracking, stealing pucks, making plays in the O-zone,” Marner says.

“The bench was going nuts for him, to be honest. He was all over the ice and has been the past couple games. He’s pretty sneaky out there with his stick, his faceoffs. He’s always above his guy it seems. People don’t like that feeling of always being touched, and he’s done a lot of it. It’s been fun to watch.”

Justin Holl perks up when Holmberg’s name is brought up. 

“He’s really good. He’s always making good plays out there,” Holl says. “For a guy who doesn’t have a great command of the English language, he’s been very impressive.”

Can’t have too many centres in the system.

6. Barry Trotz has changed his tune.

Hockey’s most coveted UFA head coach announced that it is unlikely he’ll return to the bench this season. Previously, Trotz had eyed Christmas time for a potential return and expressed interest in one day coaching in Canada and/or for an Original Six franchise.

“I don't know yet,” the 60-year-old said on The Chirp with Daren Millard. “I'm deciding. There's a couple of teams that reached out, and I said I'm not there yet. I'm probably going to take the rest of the year off and see where I am. It's still a part of me, but I'm going to continue to stay true to myself and my family right now.”

7. Interesting to see Elliotte Friedman mention Colorado as a team considering a trade for Edmonton’s Jesse Puljujarvi.

The Avalanche already struck gold once plucking a big winger with attractive underlying metrics and lousy boxcar stats.

Not unlike the case with Puljujarvi, Valeri Nichushkin’s NHL career looked like it had hit rock bottom in 2019 when he was dropped by the Dallas Stars after a zero-goal campaign.

The Avs patiently built him up with a fresh start, and the power forward was integral to 2022’s Cup run. Certainly, they must see similar potential in Puljujarvi, who is 24.

The same age Nichushkin changed teams.

8. Jack Campbell has moved on from Toronto, and the reacquired Kyle Clifford has become a depth option, while in Los Angeles the legacy of the 2020 Leafs-Kings trade has legs.

Thousand Oaks, California, native Trevor Moore, an impending UFA, inked a five-year, $21-million extension with his hometown squad. A fine reward for a late bloomer whose career earnings total $4.58 million.

Moore is getting tough assignments and top-six love in L.A., skating to the right of Philip Danault and Alex Iafallo.

“Just a good two-way player. He’s got good feet. That line as a whole has been really good for us,” Drew Doughty says. 

“He’s a good fit for them. He helps us every night, and we’re happy we got him from the Leafs.”

9. Wild stat.

The New Jersey Devils have the league’s best road record (11-1-1, .885 points percentage) despite not having a single player in the top 31 in road scoring. 

Jack Hughes is tied for 32nd with 15 road points.

10. Don’t look now but the New York Rangers have ripped off five consecutive wins.

Captain Jacob Trouba downplays it, but the pivot upwards began after he blew his lid, then threw his lid, in that brutal Dec. 3 loss at home to the tanking Chicago Blackhawks.

A (deafening) wake-up call for the group?

We know the skill is there, but something was off with the Eastern Conference finalists through the first six weeks. Gerard Gallant's teams tend to run on heart and emotion.

“The mood and attitude is getting back to where we want it,” Trouba says.

11. Interesting conversation with Rangers analyst and goalie consultant Steve Valiquette Thursday on The JD Bunkis Podcast.

Leaguewide, scoring is up to 3.16 goals per team per game — the highest it’s been since 1993-94 when Jeremy Roenick was a cheat code.

Part of that can be attributed to an increase in power-play opportunities (a 10-year high of 3.29 per team per game) and power-play success (a 40-year high of 22.46 per cent).

What’s interesting is that shots against are down from last season, but NHL goaltenders are hurting. Their .905 save percentage is the worst since 2006-07.

Valiquette defends the union, explaining that the quality of scoring chances is at an all-time high. That is, the goalies are being forced to stop more difficult shots.

I brought this trend to the NHL’s most senior defenceman Mark Giordano, who has a few theories.

“The guys are so skilled now right now, that's what I think. You never used to see the amount of skill throughout the lineup that we have now in our league. Guys are able to beat guys one-on-one. When we used to get beat one-on-one, it used to be a huge deal in this league. Like, as a defenceman getting beat by somebody was a big no-no,” Giordano says. 

“But now, if you get caught in open ice against a guy like… Michael Bunting out there, he's gonna beat you. [Note: Bunting is within earshot and breaks into laughter.] In all seriousness, there's a lot of guys who can just beat you.”

Giordano also points to the role of video and data, how coaches drill down on ways to break down the opponent and get to the prime scoring areas. And how shot selection has evolved over the years.

“It used to be shot volume was a huge thing. You’d still like to get over 40, 50 shots. But I just know personally, as a defenceman, a D-to-D wrister with no one (screening) in front is a shot that you don't want to take now,” Giordano explains.

“We weren't taught that before. We were just taught: Get the puck to the net as many times as you can. So, it's definitely changed. Also, there are things like the inner-slot plays. The plays from behind the goal line to the inner slot — teams have gotten really good at executing that. I think that's where a lot of the chances come from.”

There’s no one reason. 

Kings coach Todd McLellan points to roster construction.

“Your fourth line and your third-pair defencemen look significantly different now than they did before. The skill level on that fourth line, the ability for them to score or at least maintain momentum and hand off a good shift to the first line is at a level I don’t think I’ve seen it at before,” McLellan says.

“Courage. Young players coming in have the courage to do things. For as good as some Hall of Famers were, they weren’t trying lacrosse moves or flipping pucks up in the air. It was the old standard way of doing it. Now, these young players have courage, and they’re willing to try things. It makes it unpredictable sometimes, and that’s when you get scoring.”

12. Just because it’s a skill game doesn’t mean you’re allowed to skate up the gut with your head down. Clean hit by Ryan Reaves. Unfortunate result for Filip Hronek.

“I think Filip would want his play back — exposing himself. I talked to him quick there. He thought there was a penalty on the play. He was waiting for the goalie to come out,” Hronek’s coach, Derek Lalonde told reporters post-game. “I know Reaves was not malicious.”

If the Wild — winners of seven of its past 10 — do make the playoffs, Bill Guerin will not regret surrendering a fifth-rounder to have Reaves as a deterrent.