Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov has found a whole new level to his game this season and despite leading the league in both save percentage (.939) and goals against average (1.70), you'd think he'd be satisfied with his play. Well, as it turns out, only one thing matters to Samsonov - winning in the playoffs.
On Friday, Samsonov was asked about how he has prepared for Alex Ovechkin and the Caps on Saturday. After confirming that he and Ovechkin are obviously friends, Samsonov admitted that he has not been thinking about Ovi at all, nor about his incredible milestone, scoring his 800th goal this week. To him, Ovi is just the next opponent.
He was also asked about his play this season. If he didn't already endear himself to the entire fanbase, he certainly did with his response to the questions about how well he's played to start the year.
This is such a great attitude for a 25-year-old who is playing at the top of his game to have. He isn't concerned with regular season success or accolades. He wants to win in the postseason. He wants to win a Cup. His focus is in the right place and hopefully his stellar play continues into the playoffs, so he can help the Leafs get past the first round and go on a very deep run.
