The Washington Capitals are getting Ilya Samsonov back. The team recalled the soon-to-be 24-year old goaltender from its AHL affiliate Hershey Bears on Friday. Reserve goalie Craig Anderson has been assigned to the taxi squad to make room for Samsonov’s return.
Samsonov hasn’t played in an NHL game since Jan. 17. He was placed in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols shortly after, as he contracted the coronavirus along with teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov.
While Kuznetsov was cleared and returned to the ice on Feb. 14, Samsonov was assigned to Hershey to get conditioned. Samsonov shared he had difficulty breathing and walking while in quarantine.
While in Hershey, Samsonov had a 2.95 goals against average and a .885 save percentage in two games. Tabbed as the starting netminder at the start of the season, Ilya Samsonov is expected to play in one of the Capitals’ back-to-back games Saturday and Sunday.
He will join rookie Vitek Vanecek, who has made 12 straight starts during Samsonov’s absence, as the Capitals’ goalie tandem. Vanecek has seemingly got in a groove, allowing just two goals on 50 shots total in his last two starts. But, the NHL Rookie of the Month in January will now get much-needed relief with the Samsonov’s return.
