The Washington Capitals squared off with the Boston Bruins in the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs. While the Caps came into the series as the higher seed, they were knocked out in just five games, with the turning point coming via a miscue from young goaltender Ilya Samsonov in double overtime of Game 3.
During the play in question, Samsonov and defenseman Justin Schultz fumbled a hand-off behind the net, giving Bruins forward Craig Smith an easy game-winning goal. After the puck crossed the goal line, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin could be seen yelling at Samsonov as the team made its way off the ice.
Ilya Samsonov allows game-winning overtime goal
Samsonov and fellow Caps teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov recently recounted the viral moment during an interview on KHL team Salavat Yulaev’s VK channel.
“He was saying something like, ‘How many times have I told you not to go behind the net?'” Samsonov said, as translated via Google Translate.
“Well, yeah, he’s saying you’ve gotta stay in the crease,” Kuznetsov added. “Like, the rule is you’re not supposed to leave the blue paint. That’s what we had in Washington.”
According to Kuznetsov, fatigue played a part in the error.
“You understand, by the third period, your legs basically stop working,” Kuznetsov said. “You try, because it’s playoffs, right? You try. You get hit, you run somewhere, you’re constantly escaping someone. Something is always happening; you can’t just skate around during the game.
“This is the second overtime, and by then it was already over 30 minutes of (extra) game time, so it’s a really tough game. And then Ilyukha decided to go play the puck, stop it behind the net. He’s like, ‘Me! I’m gonna stop the game!'”
Smith, the goal scorer, eventually made his way to Washington as part of a trade-deadline deal in 2023. While with the Capitals, he revealed the clever part of the play that may have caused the miscommunication between Schultz and Samsonov.
“And that guy later got signed to our team a year later, Smith,” Kuznetsov said. “Or maybe two years later, at the deadline, when Orlov was sent to Boston, and he came to us. He said, ‘I was yelling, ‘Leave it, leave it, leave it.’”
The Capitals dropped Game 3 and then were outscored 7-2 combined in Game 4 and Game 5, making a quick exit out of the second COVID-19-impacted postseason. Samsonov would last just one more season with the Capitals before the club grew tired of his inconsistency and did not tender him a qualifying offer in 2022.
Samsonov then played three more seasons in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights before joining Kuznetsov in the KHL this past year. He made 14 appearances for Sochi HC, posting a 3-8-0 record with a 3.27 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage.
