Former NHL goaltender issues a bold statement about Leafs netminder Joseph Woll
When Ilya Samsonov left Game 3 with an injury after Luke Schenn collided with his goaltender on a bang-bang play early in the second period, Joseph Woll was forced to enter the game and did relatively well for a rookie goaltender, facing an 0-2 deficit, and being thrusted into a tough position in the post-season. Unfortunately he wasn't able to get his team the victory as Sam Reinhart finished things off in overtime with a wrap-around goal that befuddled the young goaltender, who had absolutely no help from his defenders.
With Matt Murray not even being an option in Sheldon Keefe's mind, Woll was given the monumental task of starting Game 4, but it also shows how much faith the organization has in the 24-year-old. He has been touted as the best goaltending prospect in the pipeline for a few years, he played amazing in the AHL this year with a 16-4-1 record, a .927 SV%, and a 2.37 G.A.A. and was 6-1-0 with a .932 SV% and a 2.16 G.A.A with the big club when they needed his services.
Nick Kypreos and many alike wondered if Woll should've received more starts down the stretch, in the event that he might be needed in the post-season. At times, the Leafs were cap-strapped and didn't even dress a backup goaltender, however, there we were on the brink of elimination, and Woll was called upon to save the day - and save the day he did, posting a 2-1 win over Florida on Wednesday to force Game 5.
Mike McKenna, a former NHL goaltender who now works for Daily Faceoff, was brought on as a guest on Sportsnet's The FAN 590 ahead of Game 4 and discussed Woll's situation and how this is likely a move for the future as well:
"Here's the deal, honestly I thought Joseph Woll was the best goaltender in the Maple Leafs organization this year and I'm not sure at the start of the season that's what I believed at all but by the middle, I was pretty firm in that."
"Now I think Samsonov had some really nice runs this season, Murray obviously up and down, I thought his game was good to start but cratered towards the middle part of the season and then he got hurt all the time but Woll's consistency and the arc of his career has led to this point and I did wanna see him play games down the stretch for this exact reason."
"You look at what he did during the regular season with a .932 SV%, he won 6 games, he did everything he could've shown between the American League and the NHL to be ready for this moment."
He then turned to the situation at hand and how the Leafs have to do something only 4 teams in league history have been able to pull off:
"Now this isn't a guarantee that the Leafs are gonna come back and win 4 straight with him in net but I can't help but question, Samsonov that wasn't a massive hit he took in the game from Schenn the other night."
"We thought he was battling something down the stretch and that played into my thought process that if Woll's healthy, this might be the guy and it's his consistency, his game is really clean."
"He doesn't lose his net that often, he plays between his posts, he reads the play pretty well, this is exciting. Then again he also has room to grow, Reinhart's game winner the other night, let's face it, that wasn't a great goal against, he got caught out a little bit, was a little bit unaware on it, but I think he'll learn from it, but the big question is can he win 4 straight because that is what he's facing now in his rookie season for the Toronto Maple Leafs."
Woll is going to be the future of the Maple Leafs in goal and this is the perfect time for him to shine, even if the pressure is high.
| POLL | ||
11 MAI | 207 ANSWERS Former NHL goaltender issues a bold statement about Leafs netminder Joseph Woll Who do you believe is the Leafs' best goaltender right now? | ||
| Murray, when healthy | 11 | 5.3 % |
| Samsonov, it's not even close | 49 | 23.7 % |
| Woll, he has the best numbers | 147 | 71 % |
| List of polls | ||
