Joseph Woll Starts Against Flyers And How The Maple Leafs Will Approach Their Goaltending In January

PHILADELPHIA — It’s not a surprise that Joseph Woll will start for the Toronto Maple Leafs when they visit the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday.

Since Anthony Stolarz was sidelined in mid-December with a procedure to remove a ‘loose body’ in his knee, Woll has been leaned on heavily for the lion’s share of starts in goal. Before Toronto’s 6-4 win against the Boston Bruins on Jan. 4, Woll had posted a .955 save percentage in the two starts against the New York Islanders and one against the Detroit Red Wings.

But managing Woll was simple as the club had four instances of games on back-to-back nights, where conventional wisdom has the starting goaltender rest for one of the games.

But following Toronto’s win against the Flyers on Sunday with backup Dennis Hildeby in net, the path for Woll isn’t as obvious. There aren’t any more instances of games on back-to-back nights in January. While Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube acknowledged there is a chance that Woll could go on a bit of a run here, they have to be mindful of not wearing out their goaltender, who missed the first couple of weeks to start the season with groin tightness.

So how will the Leafs manage the goaltending in Jan?

“Game-to-game,” Berube said laughing.

It’s an understandable approach. Stolarz, who has arguably Toronto’s top goaltender this season before his injury against the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 14, has been out for about three weeks of the estimated four-to-six-week timeline provided by Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving. The goaltender has yet to hit the ice, but remains around the team, taking part in the club’s annual mentors trip.

Related: Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving Explains Why Anthony Stolarz Will Miss Roughly 4-6 Weeks For A Procedure On His Knee

Hildeby made 30 saves on 32 shots in a 3-2 overtime win against the Flyers on Sunday and has re-established himself as Toronto’s third goaltending option. Matt Murray played in two games with the Leafs after missing the entire 2023-24 season due to bilateral hip surgery. Although he won in his first game back, a 6-3 victory against the Buffalo Sabres on Dec. 20, he struggled in a 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals on Dec. 28 and was sent back down to the Toronto Marlies.

Woll is 16-6-0 with a .914 save percentage this season.

Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.