By far, the brightest spot in a frustrating night for the Toronto Maple Leafs was the play of goaltender Joseph Woll — the most notable presence on the ice in Game 4 that saw the club shut out 2-0 by the Florida Panthers in Sunrise.

With the series tied 2-2 and heading back to Toronto for Game 5, the Leafs can only hope Woll’s standout performance is a sign of things to come.

Thrown into the fire after an undisclosed injury to starter Anthony Stolarz in Game 1, the 26-year-old hasn't been at his best despite helping backbone Toronto to wins in the first two games of the series. On Sunday, he was the only reason the Leafs had a fighting chance in a game they had no business staying close in. 

Florida controlled the play from puck drop, outshooting the Leafs 15-4 in the opening period and 37-23 overall. But behind Woll’s 35-save effort along with a .946 save percentage, the Leafs managed to keep it tight, heading into the third period down 1-0 despite being heavily outplayed.

Maple Leafs Shut Out By Panthers In Game 4, Head Back To Toronto With Series Tied The Toronto Maple Leafs dropped their second straight game at Amerant Bank Arena, falling 2-0 to the Florida Panthers on Sunday. With the loss, the series is tied 2-2, heading back to Toronto for Game 5.

“I thought he was great,” said captain Auston Matthews after the game. “They got some good chances. He helped keep it a 1-0 game there for the most part, on some plays that we can’t let happen. So, I thought he was great tonight.”

“I thought Joe was awesome,” added defenseman Brandon Carlo post-game. “Having a guy like that behind you, especially as a defensive guy like myself, very thankful for that. He held us in there all the way through to the end, and it's unfortunate we couldn't bounce one in the other net for us.”

The start was especially rough. 

The Leafs took four straight penalties to open the first, spending nearly half the period shorthanded. On the fourth man advantage, Carter Verhaeghe finally broke through for the Panthers, but the fact that it took that long was a testament to Woll’s effort.

“All those PPs they had in the first. He was a big reason that it was only 1-0,” said head coach Craig Berube.

“I think the defense helped me weather the storm a couple of times early in the game. Especially in the first period with those kills,” said Woll following the loss. “I think we did a great job, almost killing off four in a row there.”

“It's kind of a double-edged sword,” he added. “I think from one standpoint, it gets you in the game pretty quick, and it's nice to see some pucks. At the same time, I think being able to get a few kills in a row is a good momentum boost for us, and we almost had the fourth.”

His impact cannot be overstated.

In his best game of the series, the netminder showed flashes of what he is capable of. Chance after chance, Woll seemed to prevail with the answer, single-handedly keeping the Leafs in a one-goal game midway through the third period. The Leafs’ skaters couldn’t generate consistent offense, not five-on-five or on the power-play, even giving up multiple high-danger short-handed scoring chances.

Sunday’s outing could be a major confidence booster and step forward for Woll, who came into the game with sub-.900 save percentages in each of his previous three appearances in the series:

Game 1: .850 save percentage (3 GA)

Game 2: .893 save percentage (3 GA)

Game 3: .861 save percentage (5 GA)

“He was great. I thought he played an excellent game,” said Berube.

“He made a couple of really huge saves,” added star forward William Nylander. “Kept us in it all the way until the end. Amazing job tonight.”

His Game 4 performance looked much more like the Woll the Leafs came to rely on at points of the regular season — the one who posted a 27-14-1 record, 2.73 goals-against average, and .909 save percentage — as well as the steady presence seen in the 2024 postseason.

'We Have To Communicate Better': Maple Leafs Need Full Support To Help Joseph Woll Handle Panthers' Dump-Ins If there's anything the Florida Panthers did exceedingly well in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZWPFLoUAs4">their Game 3 win</a> over the Toronto Maple Leafs, it was how they put the puck into the offensive end.

Unfortunately, the team in front of him did not offer much support. The offense struggled, failing to solve Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who’d allowed 13 goals in the previous three games against Toronto. 

You can’t win games when you don’t score.

However, with the defending Stanley Cup champions now locked in a best-of-three with the Leafs and Stolarz’s status still uncertain, Woll’s resurgence couldn’t be more timely.

With the home team having won every game so far, Toronto will look to take advantage of home ice in Game 5 on Wednesday, but they will need more of the same from the former third-round pick if they hope to advance from this series.

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