Samsonov was not on the ice for Thursday's morning skate and the Capitals have listed him as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. If Samsonov is unavailable for Thursday's game, look for Vitek Vanecek to start and Craig Anderson to backup.

Samsonov missed the last eight games on the COVID-19 reserve list but was back on the ice for Monday's practice and should be available on Tuesday. Samsonov may not start, as the Capitals will likely want him to get a couple of practices under his belt before he returns to the crease.

Samsonov was among four Capitals added to the COVID-19 protocol list on Wednesday after it was determined they were in a hotel room together during the team's recent road trip. "Right now the players are in quarantine and, at this point, I believe it's four games and then under review and so we'll go from there," head coach Peter Laviolette said. With Samsonov out, Vitek Vanecek is expected to take over as the Capitals' No.1 and Craig Anderson was promoted to be the backup.

With Braden Holtby leaving Washington to sign with Vancouver and Henrik Lundqvist forcing to miss the season due to heart complications, Samsonov should be a workhorse for the Capitals this season. In his rookie campaign, he was 16-6-2 with a 2.55 GAA and .913 SV%. Of his 26 games, 14 came on the road, where he was 10-2-1 with a 2.55 GAA and .911 SV%.

Samsonov did not travel to Toronto and will remain in Washington to undergo treatment. The Capitals expect Samsonov to be healthy for the 2020-21 season, which means Braden Holtby is now their unquestioned starter heading into the playoffs. Pheonix Copley and Vitek Vanecek will battle it out for the backup position.