Sheldon Keefe defends Ilya Samsonov after fans flame goalie for "absolutely shameful" performance in 6-5 loss to Devils 

Head coach Sheldon Keefe stood up for goalie Ilya Samsonov after his lackluster showing in the Toronto Maple Leafs' 6-5 loss against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night.

Samsonov stopped 14 shots but leaked six goals, resulting in a .700 save percentage during the game. Leafs fans were disappointed and expressed their frustration with the goalie on X, formerly Twitter, criticizing his performance:

"Absolutely shameful performance by Samsonov this close to the playoffs no less, oofff," one fan wrote on X.

In the post-game interaction with the media, Keefe mentioned that the team didn't provide much support for Ilya Samsonov early in the game, leaving him in a tough spot. Despite this, the Leafs head coach emphasized the need for the team and Samsonov to move forward together:

"We clearly hung him out to dry early in the hockey game, so we don’t give him much of an opportunity to be in this game today. We’ll move on as a team. We need him to move on as well."- Keefe said (via mapleleafshotstove.com)

Keefe praised Ilya Samsonov's past performances, highlighting his exceptional record with few regulation losses this season. He expressed confidence in the goaltender's abilities, stating that Samsonov will bounce back quickly:

"He has been outstanding for us, and he will be outstanding next time out. I was looking at it before the game, and I can’t remember the number, but it caught my eye how few regulation losses he has had this season. He will rinse this one pretty quickly," Keefe added.

The Maple Leafs have already punched their ticket for the playoffs. With three games remaining, the club is third in the Atlantic Division with 101 points. Samsonov will look to bounce back when the Leafs face the Red Wings next on Saturday.

How Devils beat Ilya Samsonov and Maple Leafs

The New Jersey Devils beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 6-5 at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday night.

Auston Matthews continued his impressive form and netted two goals to increase his NHL-leading tally to 68 for the season. Max Domi, Mitch Marner and John Tavares all garnered two points each in the matchup.

For the Devils, Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier accumulated two points apiece, while Luke Hughes registered two assists on the night. Netminder Jake Allen conceded five goals and made 27 saves.

The New Jersey Devils have already been eliminated from playoff contention, making it the 10th elimination for the club in 12 seasons. They face the Philadelphia Flyers next on Saturday.