Craig Berube Announces Lineup Change for Saturday's Game Against the Montreal Canadiens

PUBLICATION

Chris Gerics
November 9, 2024 (3:29 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

Craig Berube isn't changing much as the Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, only making one lineup adjustment for his team.

With Toronto coming off their second straight dominant win without their captain Auston Matthews, who is currently on the IR with an upper-body injury, Craig Berube heads back tonight with the same focus as last night: Keep doing what they're doing.

So the fact Toronto has played so well gives credence to the fact that Berube isn't meddling too much with the lineup ahead of Saturday's game, swapping goaltenders as Joseph Woll gets the call on the second leg of a back-to-back:

It's a fair assumption that Woll would have gotten the start ahead of Stolarz given it's a back-to-back night and Stolarz needs rest. Not to mention a break from carrying the Maple Leafs so far this season.

Stolarz has been incredible, posting a 6-2-2 record with a 2.00 GAA and .930 SV%. Eight of his ten starts have been quality starts, only giving up 20 goals on 286 shots, and making ridiculous saves like this:

Woll on the other hand has been less than spectacular since being recalled from the IR. He's posted a 1-2-0 record with a 2.70 GAA and .892 SV%; while the goals-against average isn't awful, he's only made 66 saves and given up eight goals, including four versus St. Louis in his season debut/homecoming though bounced back against Seattle.

Going up against a struggling Montreal team will help Woll, where he has a 1-0-0 record, saving 29 of 30 shots in a 5-1 Maple Leafs win back in 2022-23. It's a hopeful sign as Woll looks to turn his season around after a rough start and also help the Toronto community along the way.

Woll hasn't been bad though with his time in Toronto but has been hampered by several injuries over his career, including a heartbreaking one in the dying seconds of Game 6 against the Boston Bruins last season.

He has a 22-15-1 record with a 2.76 GAA and .911 SV% in three seasons with Toronto but has shown extreme potential and poise when it comes to critical situations. Toronto needs him to be the star he's supposed to be as they look to keep building momentum.

It will be a fun game to watch as Toronto takes the ice against the Canadiens in what is always a heated, yet entertaining game of hockey. Toronto can only hope that Joseph Woll can come back to form and make his impact starting tonight.