Joseph Woll Comments on Expanded Workload with Leafs and Anthony Stolarz's Injury
Set to be the Leafs' number one for the next four to six weeks, Joseph Woll commented on his expanded workload ahead of his start Wednesday against the Dallas Stars.
On Tuesday, the Maple Leafs and GM Brad Treliving confirmed the worst for goaltender Anthony Stolarz, explaining that he will be out 4 to 6 weeks after undergoing a procedure on his knee in New York.
Stolarz pulled himself from Thursday's game against the Anaheim Ducks at the end of the first period and was subsequently placed on injured reserve.
With Stolarz likely out until February, Woll is set to become the Leafs' undoubted number one, an opportunity he is looking forward to despite not playing in more than 25 games in a season for the Leafs and no more than 32 in the AHL.
"To play in this league, it's very important to keep a very short-term focus. You can have a bit of looking into the future in terms of how you take care of yourself and stuff like that. But your attention needs to be pretty day to day. Obviously, all the support and hope that he gets better as quickly as possible," said Woll of Stolarz's injury, before finishing his thoughts on his increased workload. "And at the other end of it, just focus on doing my job. Get prepared for whatever the team needs.»
Since overcoming a groin strain that was diagnosed on opening day, Woll has been outstanding for the Leafs. In 12 games, the 26-year-old has posted an 8-4-0 record with a .918 save percentage and 2.24 GAA.
The Leafs begin a stretch of four games in six days with a back-to-back Friday and Saturday, meaning that Woll will likely see starts in three of those four unless Craig Berube is cautious and splits them evenly with Dennis Hildeby.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 18 | 1901 ANSWERS Joseph Woll Comments on Expanded Workload with Leafs and Anthony Stolarz's Injury Are you concerned about Woll playing a lot with Stolarz out? | ||
| Absolutely, with his injury history | 808 | 42.5 % |
| It depends how Berube splits games | 540 | 28.4 % |
| No, he should be able to handle it | 553 | 29.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
