Auston Matthews returned to practice and nearly took part in a full session. The question is how much longer? The Toronto Maple Leafs celebrated New Year’s Eve with a 3-1 victory over the New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/] on Tuesday afternoon. A major factor in the win? Goaltender Joseph Woll, who turned aside 30 of 31 shots for a 1.00 goals against average and a .968 save percentage, delivering a performance that proved critical in a tight game that came down to the wire. The Leafs’ offense also stepped up early, capitalizing on a strong start in the first period. They improved to 15-2-1 when scoring first this season and 16-1-1 when allowing two goals or fewer. However, Woll was the key factor in the Leafs’ 23rd win of the year. “Win's a win. We grinded one out, yeah, for sure. Pretty non-event game, but, you know, not pretty, but we grinded it out. Our goalie was good, and, you know, we figured out a way to do it, which was good,” said head coach Craig Berube post-game. Woll’s strong outing earned him his 11th win of the season, improving his record to 11-6-0 with a 2.48 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. STRONG GOALTENDING MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE The Maple Leafs came into the matchup having allowed three or more goals in seven of their last eight games. But on Tuesday, the Berube-led Leafs had tightened their defense, and Woll was there to clean up any lapses. His biggest save of the game came late in the third period when Islanders forward Brock Nelson broke free on a short-handed breakaway. With Toronto leading 2-1, Nelson beat out defenseman Morgan Rielly in a foot race, forcing Woll to face the 33-year-old head-on and preserve the slim lead. “Yeah, I think Mo (Rielly) did a good job kind of disrupting the bit and allowed me to do my job,” Woll said post-game. When asked if he considered challenging Nelson for the puck, Woll admitted he thought about it for a split second but ultimately played it safe. “I think he probably would have beat me too if I went out. I think any time it happens like that, for a split second you do and the puck kind of slowed down. So there was a point in me coming out and he (Brock Nelson) would have wheeled right around me,” Woll explained. It was the type of game-defining save that Berube emphasized afterward. “Huge save in the third period on the power play. We gave up that breakaway. I mean, you know, that's the difference in the game.” But overall, Berube praised Woll’s efforts, stating the 26-year-old was sturdy through traffic while being “very square and tracked the puck well tonight.” How did Woll assess his performance? “I felt good in the net. I felt like I was good technically,” he said. There was one moment in the second period, however, that had Leafs Nation holding their breath. Woll looked extremely uncomfortable after sprawling to make a series of saves early in the second period – and he was slow to get up. Considering his injury track record, and the current state of the Leafs’ goaltending situation, this was concerning in the moment. Those worries, Woll says, can be put to ease. “I'm totally fine,” he said. “Sometimes quick plays like that mess something up, but it goes away.” Aside from that brief hiccup, the netminder has built a notable reputation centered on his composure, despite having only 53 games of NHL experience under his belt. With goalie partner Anthony Stolarz still being sidelined for weeks to come due to a knee injury, the Leafs are counting on Woll to deliver consistently. And he’s certainly proving he’s up to the task. “I think Curtis (Sanford) and I talked about a couple of things. I did a good job implementing a couple of those things,” Woll said. “Other than that, I thought our team looked really good, and it was good by us to close out a close game like that against them.” -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjExNjM5NDEwNTc4NDM0MDI0/googlenews.svg] Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwytvfCA?ceid=CA:en&oc=3] to never miss a story.
