Ilya Samsonov gave up four goals on 39 shots during the Capitals’ 5-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens Friday.
Saturday morning, the Caps’ backup netminder was sent down to Hershey, but not for the reason you might think.
From Wednesday’s morning skate, it appears that the starting goalie for Wednesday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs will be rookie Ilya Samsonov.
Braden Holtby was pulled from Monday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche after allowing three goals on three shots.
By Peter Hassett 1 month ago
The early part of any NHL season can be chaotic. The Capitals started the season with a difficult schedule and have two new defensemen playing full time (Jonas Siegenthaler and Tyler Lewington). The team is still finding itself. So reaching strong conclusions about individual players — especially goaltenders, who are prone to more volatility than skaters — so soon in the season is generally unwise.
But Washington Capitals head coach Todd Reirden was asked to do so on Monday night. The press asked Reirden if rookie goalie Ilya Samsonov has earned playing time over 30-year-old veteran Braden Holtby. It’s a storyline that’s impossible to ignore right now.
It’s early and small sample sizes are chaotic, but several Washington Capitals players are off to a statistically strong start to the season.
And it’s not the names you might think.
By Brennin Weiswerda 1 month ago
We’re only two weeks into the 2019-20 season, but we’ve already learned so much. We’ve learned that maybe opponents should cover Ovechkin on the power play. We’ve learned that the third period is a silly place best avoided entirely. We’ve learned that more young Russian players are always more better.
Here now are all the good and not-so-good stuff I’ve seen through six games.
By Peter Hassett 1 month ago
ARLINGTON, VA — The best day of the Washington Capitals season, in this author’s humble opinion, occurred Monday when Caps players participated in its annual dog calendar photoshoot. Partnering with Homeward Trails Animal Rescue, the boys spent the afternoon posing (and hugging and cuddling) with dogs up for adoption as well as their own pups from home. This year, the Capitals modeled in front of vintage cars or their own vehicles.
While the Homeward Trail dogs stole everyone’s heart (please return it soon please, I’m having trouble functioning), the day started out with an appearance by the Capitals new dog, Captain.
Captain posed in a vintage silver car and wore silly hats, loving the attention he got throughout.
Meanwhile, Capitals players John Carlson, Nic Dowd, TJ Oshie, Alex Ovechkin, Chandler Stephenson, Garnet Hathaway, and Nick Jensen all posed with their own dogs. Tom Wilson, Nicklas Backstrom, Lars Eller, Tyler Lewington, Jakub Vrana, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov, Michal Kempny, Radko Gudas, Carl Hagelin, Richard Panik, Jonas Siegenthaler, Brendan Leipsic, and Ilya Samsonov took their photos with dogs available for adoption through Homeward Trails.
Since the calendar began in 2014, the Caps have raised more than $250,000 for Homeward Trails. A limited number of calendars will be available for $20 beginning Nov. 27 when the Capitals host the Florida Panthers. The calendar will also be sold online and in the team stores at Capital One Arena and MedStar Capitals Iceplex. Details will be announced at a later date.
While the official photos won’t be seen until the release, we hope these adorable photos will tide you over until then.
By Cara Bahniuk 1 month ago
Ilya Samsonov won his first game in the NHL on Friday against the New York Islanders. The 22-year-old Russian made 25 saves for the 2-1 victory. Martin Fehervary presented him with the Capitals Hard Hat, which this year is a Nationals batting helmet.
“I feel great. First win in the NHL,” Samsonov said sheepishly afterwards.
Samsonov was asked if he had any nerves during the game. “Just little bit, just little bit nervous.”
Just as he stood unflinching in net, Samsonov then did not bat an eye as Tom Wilson gave him the traditional shaving-cream pie to the face in the middle of his postgame interview.
Samsonov immediately wiped the shaving cream from his face and kept talking.
Todd Reirden has a delicate situation to manage this season. Braden Holtby, the Washington Capitals’ incumbent starter, is one of the best goaltenders in the league, a leader in the locker room, and has started 54 or more games in five straight seasons. The Vezina Trophy winner is an unrestricted free agent at season’s end and will likely a net a salary at $10 million per season.
Then there’s Ilya Samsonov. The first-round pick surprisingly made the team out of Training Camp and will be Holtby’s understudy this season after Pheonix Copley was put on waivers and loaned to the Hershey Bears. Samsonov needs starts to develop. The young Russian could be the team’s goaltender of the future.
Capitals’ senior writer Mike Vogel asked Reirden how he’d split the starts this season.
In a shocking move, the Washington Capitals placed Pheonix Copley on waivers Wednesday. Copley signed a three-year contract last season to keep him in DC until 2022.
“It was a really difficult decision for us organizationally,” head coach Todd Reirden said. “To have to put Copley on waivers was something organizationally, that we had to do and with where we’re at in today’s cap world, it was a tough one, especially with his work ethic, who he is as a person, how good he is in our locker room. It was a real tough day to inform him yesterday that he wasn’t coming on this trip and ultimately putting him on waivers.”
The move indicates, either due to the salary cap or the longterm future of the team, that the Capitals will go with Ilya Samsonov as the team’s backup goaltender moving forward where he continue his rapid development. The aggressive move also suggests Braden Holtby’s future with the team beyond this season is in question. Holtby is a UFA at season’s end and is likely due a contract with an annual average salary of around $10 million.
Every Training Camp there are surprises. And on Saturday, Todd Reirden said after the Capitals’ final Training Camp practice that a decision on who would be the team’s backup goaltender this season has not yet been made.
The Washington Capitals are considering keeping prospect Ilya Samsonov in Washington over Pheonix Copley. The move would accelerate a timeline for Samsonov, whose full-time NHL career was not expected to start until the 2021-22 season.
Saturday, general manager Brian MacLellan sent Vitek Vanecek down to the Hershey Bears leaving three goaltenders in camp.
