The Toronto Maple Leafs have stumbled to start the season. The team is currently in seventh in the Atlantic Division, and outside of a playoff spot. Between the loss of Mitch Marner, combined with injuries in net, the team cannot find wins. They did get some good news and some bad news on Tuesday, as Joseph Woll is set to return to the lineup, but Anthony Stolarz is not close.
Woll will start the team's next game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night. It was an absence due to a lower-body injury he suffered on December 4 against the Carolina Hurricanes. This is the second time this year he has missed time. Woll missed time at the start of the season due to being on leave for a personal issue.
He has been solid when in the lineup. Woll is 4-3-1 with a 2.44 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage. All of the marks are the best marks among players who have tended the twine for the Maple Leafs.
Meanwhile, the team remains without Anthony Stolarz. According to Chris Johnston of The Athletic, head coach Craig Berube says, “He's not making the progress that we thought he would make.”
Stolarz is 6-5-1 on the year with a 3.51 goals-against average and a .884 save percentage. He has not played since November 11 against the Boston Bruins, when he played just one period before leaving the game in a 5-3 loss for the Leafs. He is currently dealing with an upper-body injury, but it is not concussion-related, Berube confirmed.
The team needs some consistency in goal. They are 23rd in the NHL in goals-against per game, and have given up nine goals in just the last two games. They could get that with Woll returning to the lineup, but it would be nice to have both pieces of the tandem back.
The Maple Leafs are now 14-12-5 on the year, which places them in seventh in the division. They will look to snap a two-game losing streak against the Connor Bedard-less Blackhawks on Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena.
