On January 18, 2018, Capitals top goalie prospect, Ilya Samsonov, got his first start for Metallurg Magnitogorsk, his team since the KHL All-Star break against Ugra in Khanty-Mansiysk. Samsonov outplayed his opposing goalie, Timur Bilyalov, to earn a shutout.

Throughout the early part of the opening frame, Metallurg dominated, and outshot Ugra 12-6, but neither team was able to solve the opposing netminder in an overall, quiet first period.

With just 40 seconds left in the second period, the deadlock was broken, with Matt Ellison scoring for Metallurg Magnitogorsk, getting an assist from the team’s superstar, Sergei Mozyakin.  As a result, Magnitka went into the dressing room after the second period, leading by a score of 1-0 and nine shots to Ugra’s six.

Early in the third period, Ugra took two penalties just one minute apart, but Magnitka was unable to convert during the 5-on-3 play, and as a result, maintained their slim one-goal lead.  The score remained the same until Ugra pulled their goalie with less than two minutes to go in the game.  Former Capital Oskar Osala scored the empty-netter with 1:40 to go, getting an assist from Evgeny Timkin, to give Magnitka a 2-0 lead.  Then, with Ugra’s goalie back in the game, another former Capital and soon-to-be Olympian for Team Canada, Wojtek Wolski, scored for Magnitka with just 0:55 left in the game and Magnitka led 3-0 which held up as the final score.

For this game, Samsonov saved all 22 of the shots against him, with several of them being spectacular.  His overall save percentage is now  for the season .920.

Game Pictures from Ugra Site

By Diane Doyle

Further Reading
Game Recap from Metallurg Magnitogorsk
Game Recap from Ugra
Recap from KHL Site
Wojtek Wolski’s Long Journey To the Canadian Olympic Team
Great Relief, But No Reward for Ilya Samsonov
Ilya Samsonov Beats Moscow Dynamo
Update on Capitals’ Goalie Prospect Ilya Samsonov: Christmas Hangover in St Petersburg