The Toronto Maple Leafs lost to the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 on Friday in overtime. Despite the Hurricanes being the clear-cut better team, the Maple Leafs had a chance to pull off the win. The Hurricanes fired off 78 shot attempts with Woll making 32 saves; in comparison, the Maple Leafs only had 43 attempts. This did not hold Craig Berube back from speaking about his goaltender and how he played.
Craig Berube's thoughts on Joseph Woll's play
"He's played well, but tonight in the end, I don't think, I know we need a save, whether it's the OT or it's one of the breakaways. We need a big save there." Berube said postgame.
Woll later spoke to the media and explained how he feels behind the pipes. "I feel pretty solid, pretty solid in net.” “Just hoping to play as much as I can and do whatever I can to help the team win, and with that, learn as much as possible.”
Pinning the blame on Joseph Woll
Blaming Woll for the loss seems wrong to do, especially with how the team has played in front of him. Whether it was the extended zone time that led to the first goal, William Nylander not hustling out of the zone to Max Domi's costly giveaway in the offensive zone that opens up a penalty shot, or Morgan Rielly's turnover on the power play to give K'Andre Miller a break, the team did not perform and often left Woll out to dry. This kind of play hasn't been new to the Missouri native, as he has faced 175 shots over the previous five games, which is the most of any other goalie in the NHL.
Anthony Stolarz is predicted to get the start for the Maple Leafs as they head to the nation's capital for Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday. Since returning from injury, Stolarz has played better hockey, but has lost the net to Woll. If the New Jersey native is able to play a strong contest on Saturday, we could see Stolarz getting more starts as the season comes to a close.
The Toronto Maple Leafs did not deserve to win
The Maple Leafs simply had no business winning the contest on Friday, and pinning the loss on Woll seems like Berube is trying to take the easy way out rather than assessing his team's play. 78 shot attempts are far too many for a goalie who has nearly played every game over this most recent stretch of struggling Maple Leafs hockey.