Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague (14) controls the puck skating past goaltender Ilya Samsonov (35) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Los Angeles, Monday, Feb.

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets center Cole Sillinger (4) scores a goal against Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Ilya Samsonov (35) during an over time period to give the Blue Jackets a 2-1 victory at T-Mobile Arena.

Samsonov will serve as the starting netminder for Friday's home game against the Penguins, Jesse Granger of The Athletic reports.

Both just traded, longtime Boston teammates Charlie Coyle and Brandon Carlo sat by each other on the plane ride to Colorado.

Samsonov allowed three goals on 24 shots in a 4-3 win over the Bruins in his last start before the 4 Nations Face-Off break. The 28-year-old has a 13-7-2 record, .897 save percentage and 2.72 GAA across 22 appearance in 2024-25. The Kings rank 19th in the NHL with 2.87 goals per game this season. Samsonov is 4-2-0 in his career versus Los Angeles.

Defensively, the Leafs have improved but remain vulnerable at times. Morgan Rielly leads the blue line, but depth remains a concern, especially against high-powered offenses like Colorado’s. In goal, Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll have provided a solid tandem, though consistency has been an issue.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have had stable goaltending this season. But for the first time this season, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube had to pull one of his netminders due to performance.

Kiefer Sherwood's tiebreaking goal late in the third period helped give the Vancouver Canucks a 3-1 win over the visiting Minnesota Wild on Friday.