On Monday morning, the Capitals prospects and rookies took on the Lightning in the Rookie Showcase at the Germain Arena in Estero, Florida. While the Caps’ first game in the tournament was most notable for 2018 first-round draft pick Alex Alexeyev dropping his gloves, their second was memorable for goaltending prospect Ilya Samsonov’s shutout.
Samsonov stopped all 21 shots he faced, recording the first shutout of any goaltender in the 2018 Rookie Showcase. Across both games that the Capitals have played, Samsonov has stopped 46 of 51 shots, giving him a .902 save percentage, the second-highest of any goalie in the tourney.
Highlight video
The Future Caps shine in the Sunshine State – taking down the Lightning 5-0 in Game 2 of the #ProspectShowcase. #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/EB1iot77bE
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) September 11, 2018
Axel Jonsson-Fjallby scored 42 seconds into the game to give the Capitals an early lead. Riley Sutter, Shane Gersich, Beck Malenstyn, and Kody Clark added their own tallies to give the Capitals a 5-0 win.
Though Samsonov was solid throughout the game, NBC Sports Washington’s Rob Carlin shared a few highlights on social media. The first was of Samsonov reacting quickly to save a shot following a Capitals turnover.
Nice save by Ilya Samsonov after turnover in #Caps zone.. Nice side-to-side speed to get to the puck.. #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/eQxuEFIfly
— Rob Carlin (@RobCarlinNBCS) September 10, 2018
The second was Samsonov remaining an immovable force as the Lightning attempted to get one on the board with a barrage of late shots.
Ilya Samsonov posts a 21-save shutout as #Caps roll TB, 5-0.. Video quality isn't great.. But here's a couple of late saves to preserve the shutout.. #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/k1ATiBNFYg
— Rob Carlin (@RobCarlinNBCS) September 10, 2018
On Tuesday, the Capitals face the Predators once again in the final game of the Rookie Showcase.
Headline photo: @Capitals
