Ilya Samsonov made his second-straight conditioning start for the Hershey Bears on Wednesday after sitting out three weeks due to the coronavirus.
After giving up five goals on Sunday, Samsonov settled down against the Binghamton Devils, stopping 22 shots in Hershey’s 2-1.
Samsonov was named the second star of the game.
The 3 Stars of the game in tonight’s victory over the Devils!@PNCBank | #HBH pic.twitter.com/4N868RTlVp
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) February 18, 2021
Swiss prospect, Damien Riat, scored the game-winning goal for the Bears in the third period. The breakaway goal would be his mark his first career tally in the AHL.
What a way to score your first AHL goal, @DamienRiat. #HBH pic.twitter.com/BMAxbZYTZF
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) February 18, 2021
Samsonov made several big stops late in the game to hold the Bears lead.
Sammy makes a huge save to keep this game tied! 11:18 left in the 3rd. #HBH
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) February 18, 2021
The only goal he gave up was this insane, coast-to-coast tally by 2017 Third-Round Pick Riley Walsh. Walsh, a defense prospect, skated around everyone on the Bears to beat Samsonov.
Coast-to-coast [ kohst-tuh-kohst ]
adjective: extending, going, or operating from one coast of the ice to the other. Example: pic.twitter.com/aRb0WNYUP2
— Binghamton Devils (@BingDevils) February 18, 2021
It’s unclear how much longer Samsonov will stay with Hershey. The Bears’ next game is on Saturday at home against the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins. Meanwhile, the Capitals have back-to-back games Saturday and Sunday against the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers.
Headline photo: Cara Bahniuk/RMNB
