On Thursday, Joseph Woll played in his first game back since the start of December, backstopping the Leafs to a 4-2 victory over Arizona. While most, I'm sure, were anticipating another Woll start on Saturday, it looks like he will have to wait on getting consecutive starts as the Leafs continue to be cautious with the young netminder. To that effect, Keefe has decided to turn to Ilya Samsonov for Saturday night's matchup against the Metro Division top dogs in New York.
With three capable goaltenders on the roster, and Joseph Woll only recently back from his high-ankle sprain, the Maple Leafs may play musical chairs with their goalies down the stretch to ensure that they all remain engaged. In the last four games, all three goaltenders have started in a game.
The Leafs have already confirmed their intent to keep Martin Jones and roll 3 goalies the rest of the way. It would be a risky proposition to put Jones on waivers and lose him for nothing while having minimal depth in the minors with no NHL experience, hence the decision to carry 3 goalies.
With a busy slate for the Leafs over the next week and a half, we're almost guaranteed to see all 3 netminders in this next stretch of games.
POLL | ||
MARS 2 | 496 ANSWERS Leafs confirm starting goalie for tonight's Original Six clash with New York How many of the Leafs' 23 remaining games will Martin Jones start? | ||
8 or more | 44 | 8.9 % |
5-7 | 95 | 19.2 % |
2-4 | 357 | 72 % |
0-1 | 0 | 0 % |
List of polls |