Joseph Woll Enters Save of the Year Conversation vs. the Montreal Canadiens
Joseph Woll has been fantastic this season however his latest save has put him in contention for the NHL's best after absolutely robbing two separate players.
Expected to play a huge part in the Maple Leafs' season, Joseph Woll has been as advertised this season even if he's undergone some mid-season struggles. With Anthony Stolarz still injured, it's been up to Woll to patrol the pipes and keep Toronto remaining strong.
Heading into Saturday night's game against the Montreal Canadiens, Woll was ready to make an impact. The game didn't start the way he wanted to however, as Montreal quickly jumped out to a 3-0 lead, including a span where they scored only nine seconds apart.
But it was toward the end of the game that Woll decided to make his biggest impact. After Toronto exploded for six unanswered goals to take a 6-3 lead, Woll put on his best Dominik Hasek-esque performance and robbed not one, but two Canadiens players.
Joseph Woll's Incredible Save Of The Year Showcase
It was impressive enough that Woll got the better of captain Nick Suzuki, but the quickness and alertness to scramble to the other side of the net and make another incredible stop on Jake Evans.
If fans were worried at all about Woll's potential injury history coming back to haunt him, this is a massive step toward giving them relief. Toronto's goaltending has been arguably their biggest bright spot, and the tandem of Woll and Anthony Stolarz has been lights out.
Stolarz before being injured registered a 9-5-2 record meanwhile Woll pushed his record to 16-8-0. It's remarkable for the Maple Leafs that the team has only lost twice in overtime, owing a lot to their goaltending for keeping them in games, and even when faced with 3 on 3 have no issues keeping strong.
It was a full team effort however from the Maple Leafs tonight, and after giving up those three quick goals the team settled down and go back to business. Toronto had seven different scorers against the Habs including one each from fourth-liners Steven Lorentz and David Kampf.
Nick Robertson, William Nylander, Auston Matthews, Bobby McMann, and even Oliver Ekman-Larsson lit up the lamp and every forward besides Ryan Reaves recorded at least one point.
It's a great sign for the Maple Leafs that Woll is not only healthy, but pulling off sensational saves like the one on Saturday night. If he can keep this up, it might be a bit easier this time around for the team come playoff time.
