Ilya Samsonov’s four-game winning streak came to an end on Wednesday in a 2-1 shootout loss to Lehigh Valley. While he may not have gotten the win, it was another impressive performance for the young netminder who really seems to have suddenly figured out the AHL.

During his four-game winning streak, Samsonov had a 0.99 goals against average and a .950 save percentage with two consecutive shutouts. Hershey may have lost on Wednesday, but Samsonov made 25 saves on 26 shots and allowed only one goal on the night.

Samsonov’s numbers for the season are not great, but thanks to this recent run he has improved a 3.83 GAA to 3.14 and a .862 save percentage to .878.

Based on how the season started, his stats for the season may be beyond repair. But if you evaluate his play over the course of a season, the drastic improvement is a very encouraging sign for a player who had to adjust to the North American game.

Having said that, don’t take these past five games to mean Samsonov is clearly NHL ready.

The Caps are struggling right now with seven straight losses and fans are desperate for some kind of solution for how to snap the team out of its current funk. What’s that? The team’s top prospect is suddenly playing lights out in the AHL? Problem solved!

No, the problem is not solved.

While Samsonov’s numbers have improved, the fact is that he still has a 3.14 GAA and a .878 save percentage because it took time for him to adjust to the AHL. To think there would now be zero adjustment for a 21-year-old goalie in his first season in North America going to the NHL is crazy. Plus, have you seen the way the Caps are playing defensively right now? Calling up Samsonov just to feed him to the wolves would not be good for the team or the player.

Some people may point to the Philadelphia Flyers who recalled AHL prospect Carter Hart. He was thought to be the goalie of the future, but the Flyers finally recalled him and he has performed admirably in 12 games with a 2.66 GAA and .918 save percentage.

First, the Flyers are the absolute last team you want to emulate when it comes to how you handle goalies. The history of mismanagement at that position is staggering. Second, Hart is playing because there literally is no one else in that organization who can. They have cycled through an NHL record seven goalies this season already. Third, look at the standings. The Flyers are one point out of last place in the NHL so it is not as if Hart has magically solved all of Philadelphia’s issues. Hart may be playing well, but if you have problems in front of the goalie, finding a goalie does not magically solve those problems.

Yes, Braden Holtby and Pheonix Copley have not played particularly well during this losing streak, but the Caps are also playing terrible defense, they are not producing offensively and they are making horrible decisions with the puck. Recalling a goalie after five good games in the AHL solves none of those problems.

Other prospect notes

Given the Caps’ recent struggles, a question I get asked a lot is if the team should recall anyone from Hershey to boost the roster. There are a few problems with this. First, the Caps have no cap room and no roster space so any recall would mean sending someone down and exposing them to waivers. Second, since the Caps have drafted low in recent years, there are no game-changing players in Hershey to call up. Samsonov is the team’s top prospect and is just starting to figure out the AHL. He’s not ready for the NHL just yet. Washington’s problems are not going to be solved by recalling a Nathan Walker or Shane Gersich and plugging them into the bottom six.

If the Caps do decide to recall a skater, my pick would be Riley Barber. He has 17 goals and 37 points in 39 games this season. There’s just one problem and that is Barber leads the AHL in power play points with 22, so the majority of his production is coming with the extra man. He would not be getting power play time in Washington. You have to ask what a player can provide an NHL team when you recall him. Just how much would Barber be able to produce at the NHL level with no power play time?

With 19 goals, Mike Sgarbossa has equaled a career high he set in 2012-13 in 57 games. He has played only 43 this season. With 35 points, he is just nine shy of his career high of 44.

Aaron Ness had his first career three-assist game on Saturday in Hershey’s win over rival Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. That game brought him to the century mark for points while with the Bears. Ness is tied for second among AHL defensemen in assists with 25.

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