Maple Leafs’ Joseph Woll leaves game vs. Hurricanes with lower-body injury
It’s unknown where Woll sustained the injury, as he made it through the first 40 minutes not only without issue, but playing well. He had only allowed one goal on 23 shots amidst a streak that saw him allow only six goals on 118 shots.
His return to the crease had greatly stabilized the goaltending situation for the Maple Leafs, after Anthony Stolarz started the season off extremely poorly before landing on the injured reserve himself. Waiver claim Cayden Primeau provided little relief in the games Stolarz wasn’t starting, so the recent strong play from Woll and Dennis Hildeby has been a breath of fresh air for a Maple Leafs team that is looking to get things going following a lacklustre first two months.
Woll initially missed the first month and a bit of the season after attending to a personal issue, the context of which hasn’t been revealed. He returned to the ice for the Maple Leafs on November 15, a 3-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.
If Woll misses any significant time, it will be a heavy blow to a Leafs team that’s battled the injury bug as much as anybody this season. Stolarz, Auston Matthews, Chris Tanev, Scott Laughton, Brandon Carlo, and Nic Roy among others have all missed time with injury this season, and some of them are still hurt. Not only that, but with Stolarz still currently sidelined, the Leafs will be down to Dennis Hildeby and whichever Marlie gets the call-up in net. It wouldn’t be a surprise whatsoever to see general manager Brad Treliving try to seek out a goalie via waivers or trade, as giving Hildeby a full starter’s workload seems like a counter-productive move as much as he’s impressed lately.
The Leafs will return home on Saturday to face the Montreal Canadiens following a six-game road trip.