Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs played a close game on Wednesday night. And in the end, they shutout the Winnipeg Jets, earning the victory in overtime. A major reason for the massive win for Toronto is their embattled goaltender Ilya Samsonov.

Samsonov has had a rough season overall in 2023-24, but Wednesday was possibly his best performance of the season. He made 32 saves against the Central Division-leading Jets to secure Toronto's third win in their last four games.

After Wednesday night's contest, Matthews had a chance to speak to the media. He scored the game-winner for the Maple Leafs. But his mind was on his goaltender, as he summed up Samsonov's performance with one word. “Unbelievable,” Matthews said, via Toronto Sun reporter Terry Koshan.

I thought he was the best player on the ice for us by far. I can’t say enough good things about him and just the way he played tonight was incredible,” the Toronto star continued on Wednesday night.

Ilya Samsonov earns applause as Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs win

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Samsonov's performance was stellar against the Jets. And one moment that was reflective of this came in the second period. Winnipeg got a 2-on-0 odd-man rush while shorthanded. The Maple Leafs were out of position, and couldn't help their puck-stopper.

However, Samsonov stood tall. He stopped the initial shot, deflected a pass across the crease, and denied the second chance opportunity. Those saves earned a loud ovation from the Maple Leafs crowd as they all chanted his name.

“That play shouldn’t happen. It’s on us as a PP,” Matthews said of the play, via Koshan. “We have to be better, we will be better, but pretty incredible two saves to keep it a 0-0 game.”

Samsonov has now turned in back-to-back promising performances. It's certainly a positive sign for Toronto moving forward as they battle for important positioning in the Eastern Conference ahead of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.