Toronto Maple Leafs: Florida’s Winning Streak Hits a Woll

The Toronto Maple Leafs entered game four of their second-round series against the Florida Panthers with their backs against the wall.

With their top goaltender Ilya Samsonov out due to injury, the Toronto Maple Leafs decided to play Joseph Woll.

Not having their number-one goaltender playing in an elimination game could have cost the Leafs, but they rallied around Woll and played their best game of this entire series.

The team proved that their confidence in Woll is high. He repaid them by stopping 24 out of the 25 shots he faced.

Toronto Maple Leafs Stage Part-One of the Comeback

Woll played well and looked very calm throughout the game. The only time he showed any signs of panic was on the Florida Panthers’ goal. As the puck trickled through his pads and slowly inched towards the goal line, Woll tried to grab it with his glove. Sam Reinhart got to the puck first and poked it over the goal-line.

The Toronto Maple Leafs played well defensively in game four and will need to play that way in game five if they want their season to continue. The rest of this series is a must-win for Leafs whose star players showed up in game four, with William Nylander and Mitch Marner getting the two Toronto goals. They’ll need to show up again in game five on Friday in Toronto.

Toronto did almost everything right in game four. They won 62% of the faceoffs, beat Florida 26-21 in hits, and recorded 21 blocked shots. They’ll need to lower the number of giveaways in game five after having 11 in game four. Hopefully, their effort in game four will boost their confidence. (Stats from NHL.com)

There is no reason the Leafs can’t win four in a row. Only four teams in NHL history have come back to win four in a row after losing the first three games. The first team to do it was the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs. The 2023 Maple Leafs are hoping history will repeat itself. Players can’t look at it as one game at a time but focus on one shift at a time.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe plays Woll in net for game five, though it is possible that Matthew Knies is back.  Hopefully, the Maple Leafs can win the next two games and force a game seven at home in Toronto.