Joseph Woll will finally make his season debut when the Toronto Maple Leafs host the St. Louis Blues, Fraser Minten takes the morning skate and Max Pacioretty remains out with a lower-body injury. There had been plenty of speculation about when — or even if — Joseph Woll would make his season debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Now, it has been confirmed that the goaltender will be starting when the team faces the St. Louis Blues at Scotiabank Aren on Thursday. Why is now the right time for Woll to step in? "He's been obviously progressing in the right direction for some time now, and we kind of had this date picked out that he would get this start," said Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube. "It was just basically making sure he's ready, comfortable, everybody's on board with him. He's been ready to go, and this is where we picked." Woll was originally expected to start the season opener on October 9 against the Montreal Canadiens, but on the morning of the game, Berube announced that Anthony Stolarz would be in net, as Woll was sidelined day-to-day with lower-body tightness. Woll later revealed that he had been dealing with groin tightness but chose not to share further details about the injury. "He was disappointed for sure, and he had a good camp and was ready to go. It was disappointing for him and for us," Berube said. "But that's part of the game, and you've got to deal with it, and he's handled it the right way." Stolarz has been stellar so far, with a 3-2-0 record and a .938 save percentage. However, with his previous career high set at 28 games in a season, the Leafs need to be cautious about overworking their goaltender. In Woll's absence, Dennis Hildeby made two starts, earning his first NHL win in a 4-2 victory against the New Jersey Devils on October 10. However, the 6-foot-7 Swede struggled in his second start, a 6-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. Hildeby was sent back to the Toronto Marlies to make room for Woll's return. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNTk1MTUxMDE2NDM2ODQ0/cf1808c0-6a82-4298-9049-3eb2eae105b0.jpg] Related 'That's The Identity They Needed To Create': Maple Leafs Shown Video Of Lightning's Pack Mentality After Bruins' Brad Marchand Injured Timothy Liljegren Last Season [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/thats-the-identity-they-needed-to-create-maple-leafs-shown-video-of-lightnings-pack-mentality-after-bruins-brad-marchand-injured-timothy-liljegren-last-season] Maple Leafs Gear Up For Head Coach Craig Berube's First Matchup Against Former Blues Team, Lineups And Where To Watch [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/maple-leafs-gear-up-for-head-coach-craig-berubes-first-matchup-against-former-blues-team-lineups-and-where-to-watch] Report: Joseph Woll Has 'Decent Chance' To Make Season Debut Against Blues After Beginning Year On Maple Leafs' Injured Reserve [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/report-joseph-woll-has-decent-chance-to-make-season-debut-against-blues-after-beginning-year-on-maple-leafs-injured-reserve] News from THN.com 'Will Have To Work Rest Of My Life To Pay It Off': Roberto Luongo Attends Another Taylor Swift Concert [https://thehockeynews.com/news/will-have-to-work-rest-of-my-life-to-pay-it-off-roberto-luongo-attends-another-taylor-swift-concert] Blue Jackets And Panthers Honor Johnny Gaudreau At Columbus Home-Opener [https://thehockeynews.com/news/blue-jackets-and-panthers-honor-johnny-gaudreau-at-columbus-home-opener] What We Will And Won't Miss With A Decentralized NHL Draft [https://thehockeynews.com/news/what-we-will-and-wont-miss-with-a-decentralized-nhl-draft]
