Joseph Woll Should Get More Starts With Maple Leafs and What the Maple Leafs Said About Their Rising Goaltender
The Maple Leafs did not play well against the Washington Capitals and have Joseph Woll to thank for picking up a 4-1 victory on the road.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — If there was any doubt that Joseph Woll has earned more starts in the Toronto Maple Leafs net, look no further than his 36-save performance in a 4-1 victory over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday.
The Leafs were under siege from the beginning of the game as the players in front of Woll had one of their worst periods of the season, allowing 16 shots on goal in the frame and having just a 13 percent share of the expected goals at even strength according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
Still, the Leafs escaped that opening period with 1-0 lead after a goal from Morgan Rielly and the stellar play of Toronto's netminder.
"He kept us in it in that first. They really came out flying and kind of took control of the game pretty early on, and he was just solid for us," Auston Matthews said of the goalie's performance. "He gave us a chance to hang in there.
The Maple Leafs eventually supported Woll with more goals in the second period. Goals from Toronto core players John Tavares, William Nylander and Matthews effectively put the game out of reach for Washington.
Alex Ovechkin scored the Caps' lone goal in the game, his first of the season.
Woll impressed on Saturday when he stepped in for a struggling Ilya Samsonov against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Thrust into action in the first period with his team down 3-1, Woll made 28 saves and didn't allow a goal in 50:36 of action to help his team come from behind and win the game 4-3 in overtime.
Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said following that performance that Woll was pushing for more action and was impressed with how the goaltender handled a barrage of high-quality scoring chances from the Capitals
"There’s some (chances) that require a great deal of athleticism, sort a desperation-type savant tracks the puck and he finds it and he has the athleticism strength and flexibility to get there," Keefe said. "It was impressive."
In the second period, Woll had to contend with a penalty-shot opportunity awarded to Ovechkin. Defending a one-goal lead at the time, Woll was able to read the chance with a blocker save.
"He was tracking it really well. Very composed," Tavares said of Woll. "I think everybody knows about his demeanor and the way he conducts himself, but light-hearted as well. He let things roll off the back pretty easily … but he’s all business in his details and his work ethic and you can see the skill-set."
Teammate Max Domi said that Woll's demeanor reminds him of Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price. In three appearances this season, Woll is 2-1-0 with a .958 save percentage. In 14 NHL games spread over three seasons, Toronto's goaltender is 11-3-0 with a .932 save percentage.
Is Woll the next Carey Price? It's too early to say, but Woll's numbers continue to improve with each chance Keefe gives him in goal.
"I'm really happy that he has faith in me to play me," Woll said "Any opportunity I get to get in the net and help this team win I'm very excited for."
And his teammate are happy to reap the benefits as they continue to find their game
"I thought tonight was one of his best games that I've seen him play, at least from my perspective," Rielly said of Woll. "Just a great teammate, a great young man that works extremely hard. You can tell on a night like tonight."
Related
News from THN.com