Leafs name starter for Thursday's tilt with the Seattle Kraken
On the heels of a controversial shootout win against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, the Toronto Maple Leafs welcome the Seattle Kraken to Toronto tonight, with the Kraken coming off of a pair of losses this week.
Joseph Woll was excellent against the Panthers, stopping 38 of the 39 shots he saw in the game and 5 of the 6 shots he faced in the shootout. While many had expected the Leafs to turn to Ilya Samsonov for tonight's game against Seattle in an attempt to keep both goalies involved, that may not be the case.
Much to the surprise of many, it was Woll, not Samsonov who was first off the ice this morning at practice, indicating that he'll be the starter for Thursday's tilt with the Kraken. Sheldon Keefe confirmed Woll as tonight's starter and confirmed that it was because his play really hasn't seen much of a dip in his play.
"He just looks confident and comfortable in the net. He has not had a dip in either of these two games, two good ones in a row ... It makes that decision somewhat easy."
Woll's performance on Tuesday seems to have earned him a little extra leash in comparison to Samsonov, who has not been nearly as consistent this season as he was last season.
Woll has won 3 of his last 4 games, improving to 7-5-0 on the season, owning a 2.74 GAA and a .916 SV%.
POLL |
NOVEMBRE 30 | 529 ANSWERS Leafs name starter for Thursday's tilt with the Seattle Kraken Is Joseph Woll the new 1A goalie in Toronto? |
Yes | 472 | 89.2 % |
No | 57 | 10.8 % |
List of polls |
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