Ilya Samsonov is confident and plays well – the Toronto Maple Leafs are better for that.

One of the constant knocks against the Toronto Maple Leafs over the years is the team's lack of a goaltender who can get it done in the playoffs.

However, Ilya Samsonov has been slowly instilling confidence in Leafs Nation with his play of late. Even though he's the guy who helped Toronto advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in 19 years, Samsonov struggled so much earlier this season that he was the third-string goaltender on the short list.

Samsonov plays as if he doesn't exist. 1 goaltender, winning each of his last five starts and nine of his last 11. Since January 1st, the Russian netminder is 18-3-1 with a .915 save percentage. Even if he plays well, if Samsonov's game goes south, the team could turn to Joseph Wohl, who took over the starting job earlier this year.

On Thursday's edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, former NHL goaltender Carter Hatton explains why Samsonov's latest performance is good for both his confidence and the team.

Carter Hutton: He's a guy who has openly struggled with the mental side of the game and how he feels. For me, at first it was like, “Why are you doing this? Why open?” It can be said that the dividends have been paid for him, where many people get behind him and believe in him. It showed the human side of the wicket and what we deal with during the year-long struggle.

The way he finds ways to win games is impressive, and I think the team will answer the call. Confidence is everything to me. Moving forward, it can make a difference.

You can watch the full episode and the full episode here…