Toronto Maple Leafs: Joseph Woll Gets Home Start on HNIC

The Toronto Maple Leafs have used three goalies this year, and they’ve all been fantastic.

Matt Murray, a player the Toronto Maple Leafs were paid to take, has been great when he can play.

Erik Kallgren saved the season by posting elite 5v5 numbers when both of the summer’s goalie acquisitions took October off.

Ilya Samsonov stole the crease, leads the NHL in high-danger save-percentage, and has been absolutely fantastic.

And Joseph Woll is set to become the Leaf fourth goalie of the season tonight, as he’ll get the start at home, on Hockey Night in Canada.

Toronto Maple Leafs and Joseph Woll

If I am not wrong, the last Leafs goalie to be developed by the organization and go onto any kind of success was James Reimer.

He played his first game in 2010, so that’s over a decade.  You would think they’d develop a goalie accidently over that much time, but regardless, it seems they’ve finally developed a good one.

Woll currently has a 2.36 / .930 line in the AHL, where he is that league’s best goalie.  He has a 13-1 record, and would already be at least the back-up on most other teams.

Teams that don’t have a two time Cup winner as their back-up, maybe.

Woll is 24, and he’s the won 3 of his 4 NHL games so far.  All four of them came last season, and all four on the road.

Tonight’s game will likely feature the same lineup – other than the goalie – that destroyed the Blue Jackets last night.

Of course, that was a shut-out and the best player in that game won’t be playing, but it still shouldn’t matter.

The Blue Jackets are a bad team, and the Leafs are an excellent one.

John Tavares had two goals last night, but it was Nylander who dominated the game, and you can expect that he’ll do his best to make up for Auston Matthew’s absence tonight.

Matthews has been skating and likely won’t be out too much longer, but the Leafs schedule is pretty easy coming up and there is no reason to rush him back.

The win last night tied the Toronto Maple Leafs for 3rd overall, and they are fourth by save percentage.  A win tonight coupled with a Carolina loss to the Rangers will put the Leafs just two points out of second.

What’s crazy is that the Leafs didn’t play for an extra four days after the break and all the teams they are competing with still have two games in hand.