Caps rookie goaltender Ilya Samsonov made 23 saves against the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday to earn his first career shutout in the NHL.
Samsonov improved his record to 13-2-1. Nicklas Backstrom scooped up the puck after the game and gave it to him, and the team gave him the Nationals hard-hat of the game.
“It’s important for me,” he told the media after the game. “First one. Thank you whole team. We play really well. Great PK. Awesome job. Every guy is blocking shots. Great game.”
Count it! It's a @pepsi shutout for Ilya Samsonov. pic.twitter.com/j7fti4VFiS
— NHL (@NHL) January 14, 2020
