Ask Evgeny Kuznetsov about Ilya Samsonov, and you get a warm laugh. “That’s my buddy,” Kuznetsov says mischievously, chilling in his stall after a morning skate in Ottawa. And he refuses to say much more. He doesn’t want to give the Samsonov the satisfaction of reading any more glowing press about himself. It’s all too novel and exciting, Kuznetsov explains. There’s also a ton of it coming out of late.
Fair enough. Maybe Kuznetsov doesn’t want to mess with a good thing. Before Samsonov and the Washington Capitals lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins this past Sunday, he’d won 11 straight decisions, becoming the third rookie goalie ever to do so, posting a .