LEAFS TAKEAWAYS: Woll stellar, club gets second win in a row

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If only the Maple Leafs had this kind of goaltending through much of the 2025-26 season.

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Joseph Woll was stellar in a 4-3 victory against the New York Rangers on Wednesday night at Scotiabank Arena, 24 hours after Anthony Stolarz frustrated the Bruins in Boston.

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As his Leafs teammates managed just 18 shots on Igor Shesterkin, Woll turned aside much of what the Rangers had to offer, making 40 saves. Inferior goaltending is one reason why the Leafs won’t participate in the Stanley Cup playoffs this spring.

Better late than never, we suppose, on the part of Woll and Stolarz to supply solid netminding.

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Not only did the Leafs have their mentors in attendance again, several Blue Jays, including George Springer and Ernie Clement, were on hand and dropped in on the Leafs before the game.

“It was unreal,” said John Tavares, who scored the winner in the third period. “A little different type of preparation, but cool having (the Jays) in before and certainly to celebrate a win. Regardless of the circumstances for us, it’s great, the support for each other and what they did for the city last year and what they’re hoping to do this year, and the excitement everybody has for them including us. We love supporting them.”

The Leafs have won consecutive games for the first time since they won three in a row heading into the Olympic break early in February, putting a dent in fans’ hopes that they fall into the bottom five of the 2026 draft and retain their first-round pick.

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Three takeaways:

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WOLL STANDS TALL

Alas, Woll didn’t get the puck from his first NHL point.

He was credited with the secondary assist when Matias Maccelli set up Dakota Joshua in the second period. It was Woll’s first point in 113 NHL games.

“I did not, no,” Woll said with a chuckle. “I didn’t even know I got an assist. I have to re-watch and see how it unfolded. Geez, it’s taken me long enough. I would have thought I got something (previously).”

More importantly, the season-high 40 saves by Woll put him in a good frame of mind.

While the Leafs’ goaltending will have to be sorted out in the summer — it’s unlikely they start training camp with all of Woll, Stolarz and Dennis Hildeby — he agreed with the idea that a crease foundation of sorts can be set in Toronto’s final games for next season.

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“I think our mindset is to play as well as we can and we give our team a chance every night,” Woll said. “We both want to be here and we want to win here.”

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HE CAN SCORE, TOO

While very little about the way the Leafs have played defence has had attractive qualities, it would be an error to not point out what Jake McCabe has done on the blue line.

Four more blocked shots brought McCabe to 173 on the season, the most in the NHL.

And there was McCabe scoring in the first period, ending a run of 50 games without a goal. He had not scored since Nov. 18 against St. Louis. McCabe took a pause before beating Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin off a Matias Maccelli rebound.

“Yeah, it’s funny, my kids were giving me a hard time today,” McCabe said. “They said, ‘Dad, you never score goals, when are you going to score a goal?’

“Nice to get one, especially in the first period when I know they’re still up watching. I’m looking forward to seeing them in the morning, their reaction.”

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With his steady partner of 2024-25, Chris Tanev, having missed the majority of the season because of injuries, McCabe has plowed ahead. Plus-minus is not the measure it once was, but consider that McCabe is a team-high plus-14 on a team that generally can’t keep the puck out of its net.

His warrior mentality has been appreciated.

“He’s been a hell of leader for us, McCabe, this year and last year,” coach Craig Berube said. “We’re lucky to have him.”

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Easton Cowan gave McCabe the post-win belt.

“All the little things he does defensively, he has that (offensive ability),” Tavares said of McCabe. “It’s always great when heart and soul guys like that come through and get rewarded.”

HONEST JOSHUA

Joshua has been more noticeable since returning late in February from a lacerated kidney that kept him out for two months.

While Joshua leads the Leafs with 180 hits, he hasn’t made the overall impact the Leafs desired when they acquired him from the Vancouver Canucks during the off-season.

A fight with Boston’s Nikita Zadorov on Tuesday went a long way with his teammates and coaching staff, and after Joshua was strong on the forecheck on McCabe’s goal, his 10th goal put the Leafs up 3-0 against the Rangers in the second period.

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“It’s been good,” Joshua said of his recent play. “(But) the season has not gone the way we wanted it to, personally or as a team. It’s important to build some momentum here toward the end and feel good about your performances going into the end of the season.”

The 6-foot-3, 218-pound Joshua is under contract for each of the next two years, and no matter who the coach is next year, he should have an opportunity to get a fresh start at camp. We’re now seeing glimpses of what he can do on a regular basis, and for the Leafs to take the proper steps in 2026-27, Joshua will have to fall on the right side of consistency. The Leafs would benefit from the kind of physicality that he can provide in their bottom six.

tkoshan@postmedia.com

X: @koshtorontosun

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