Leafs address goaltending situation ahead of Game 4
Last night, during Game 3, the unthinkable happened. Ilya Samsonov went down with injury in the second period, forcing Joseph Woll to play most of the final 40 minutes of the game. Woll didn't look out of place at all and gave the Leafs a chance to win. Unfortunately, the Leafs couldn't pull it off and are now down 3-0 to Florida and facing elimination.
During his post-game media availability, Sheldon Keefe was asked about his Game 4 starter, but did not give a clear indication of who he would go with. Asked about Woll, Keefe responded by saying, "He's ready for this," and for good reason as Woll was lights out in the regular season, going 6-1 with a .932 save percentage and 2.16 GAA.
Keefe was also asked about the possibility of Matt Murray returning to action for Game 4 as he has been out since April second with a concussion. "He's been cleared, he's healthy," responded Keefe.
There are more questions than answers right now regarding what the plans are for the Leafs in Game 4. We still don't have an update on Samsonov, but with Murray cleared to return to action and with Woll having played so well in his limited time with the team, Keefe and the Leafs certainly have two capable options.
If the call was mine, I'd likely opt for Woll in Game 4, as Murray has not played in over a month. Throwing him in the net for the first time this postseason in an elimination game might not be the best strategy, nor would it be setting him up for success. Woll hasn't played much more, but he did look strong for much of last night's game. We'll see which way the Leafs decide to go though.
| POLL | ||
MAI 8 | 355 ANSWERS Leafs address goaltending situation ahead of Game 4 Who would you start in Game 4 if you were Sheldon Keefe? | ||
| Joseph Woll | 222 | 62.5 % |
| Matt Murray | 66 | 18.6 % |
| Samsonov will be fine to start Game 4 | 67 | 18.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
