Ilya Samsonov starts beef with another NHL goalie on social media
NHL Network was doing a standard offseason countdown of the top ten goalies earlier this week, and Linus Ullmark being ranked 10th seemed to touch a nerve with Ilya Samsonov.
On NHL Network's Instagram post, Ilya Samsonov posted a heart emoji, and then the date that he's set to face Ullmark the next time, but also taunted him that he may avoid the game. Ullmark made controversial comments earlier that may have started the beef between the two goalies.
In an interview earlier this offseason, Linus Ullmark said that he was surprised the Toronto Maple Leafs left Ilya Samsonov in net for so long in their playoff series against the Boston Bruins, instead of starting Joseph Woll. The comments easily can be interpreted as a shot towards Samsonov's ability, and the former Leaf goaltender clearly took note.
In the playoffs, Samsonov appeared in 5 games and posted a below average .896 save percentage, while Woll had a .964 in 3 appearances. Ironically, Ullmark was the worst goaltender in the series, only playing two games with an .886 save percentage.
Now both goaltenders have joined different teams, but this looks like a conflict on a personal level. Samsonov is now with the Vegas Golden Knights and Ullmark with the Ottawa Senators, who will face off against each other on November 21st in the upcoming season.
Hopefully both coaches start these two goalies to give hockey fans a show - either a goaltending duel based on merit, or perhaps even a rare goalie fight. This game will be marked as one of the early season matchups to pay attention to!
| POLL | ||
Do you think Ullmark and Samsonov will fight when they meet next? | ||
| Yes | 30 | 37.5 % |
| No | 47 | 58.8 % |
| See Results | 3 | 3.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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