The Toronto Maple Leafs are bracing to be without starting goaltender Joseph Woll for the foreseeable future after the 25-year-old sustained a leg injury in the third period of Thursday night's 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators.
Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed that Woll would “miss some time” but didn't provide a diagnosis or timeline regarding the ailment.
“It’s unfortunate, right?” Toronto's bench boss admitted afterwards, per NHL.com's Callum Fraser. “He’s been playing so well. He was building such great momentum here on his season and his career. It’s a setback here now.”
Woll made 29 saves at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa before needing to be helped off the ice at 10:22 of the final frame. He went into the butterfly to save a backhand shot from Sens forward Rourke Chartier, and was in considerable discomfort leaving the ice.
“It’s brutal,” Leafs forward Mitchell Marner said about his goalie's injury. “You don’t wish that upon anyone. So, hopefully when news comes back it’s somewhat positive. But like I just spoke on, a couple massive saves from [Woll] tonight and he’s been doing it all year for us.”
“He was outstanding obviously tonight,” D-man Morgan Rielly echoed. “He’s been great every time he’s been in the net for us. So, when you’ve got a young guy like that who’s confident and playing as well as he is, that’s a good sign for our team.”
Woll has excelled in Toronto this season, skating to an 8-5-1 record with a .916 save percentage over 13 starts.
Martin Jones recalled and thrust into action
With Woll exiting, it was Martin Jones who played out the final 10 minutes for the Leafs. He made nine saves in relief and was credited with the victory after being recalled from the American Hockey League's Toronto Marlies on an emergency basis.
“It was tough to watch, obviously,” the veteran Jones explained afterwards. “You don’t want to see that. Just tried to get my head in the game and get ready to go.”
Jones figures to see some starts in Woll's absence, along with Ilya Samsonov, who entered the season as the starter but has struggled mightily in 2023-24. Samsonov hasn't suited up for the past two games due to an illness; he's 4-1-3 with a .878 save percentage this year.
“The confidence and faith is high [in Jones],” Keefe explained regarding Jones. “He’s a veteran goalie, so a situation like tonight, that wouldn’t rattle him. He’s ready. He’s been a tremendous teammate when he’s been here and tremendous when he’s been down with the Marlies. He’s handled this whole situation incredibly well. That’s why you sign veteran depth. We were fortunate when he got through waivers and remained part of our organization. It’s for situations like this.”
It'll be interesting to see who the Maple Leafs will have between the pipes when they head home to play the Nashville Predators on Saturday night.
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