Woll secured his second-career playoff win on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, Sheldon Keefe added that the team is going to need more of that play.
Woll secured his second-career playoff win on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, Sheldon Keefe added that the team is going to need more of that play.
The Maple Leafs got everything, and more, from Joseph Woll in Tuesday's Game 5 win in Boston. And it appears the team will be asking him to step up once again for Game 6 in Toronto.
Woll came in for relief of Ilya Samsonov in Game 4 on Saturday night. He looked like his usual self: Calm and composed. The 25-year-old stopped all five shots in that game and started for Toronto in Game 5, helping the team stave off elimination and bring the series back home.
"That's a big game for him last night to go in and show that confidence, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said on Wednesday afternoon at Ford Performance Center.
"Joseph didn't get tested a lot and didn't get a lot of work in that first period. It can be tough mentally and you go in and the team's played really well and you've given up one on two shots. He didn't let that affect him.
"He just stayed with it and didn't let the next one fall."
Woll stopped 27 of 28 shots on Tuesday night in Boston, which could be touted as one of his best games as a Maple Leaf. He made save after save, especially when the team needed it most.
It was a performance that appears to have gotten him the start for Game 6, another do-or-die matchup.
"Obviously we're going to need him to continue with that [confidence]. Our team's going to have to continue to do a job in front of him," Keefe said. "Those things have got to be connected. The team defence has got to do its job and then if there's a breakdown, the goalie has to do his job."
Game 6 of the series goes down inside Scotiabank Arena on Thursday night. It'll be yet another late start in Toronto with the game beginning just after 8 p.m. ET. We could have another goaltending duel between Woll and Bruins' netminder Jeremy Swayman.
However, for the Maple Leafs, they're just focused on themselves and what's at stake on Thursday evening.
"[Woll] just jumped in that series and made some big saves for us," Simon Benoit said. "So pretty happy about it, I'm glad for him too. We're just focused on tomorrow."
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