Leafs HC Craig Berube Confirms Joseph Woll's Injury, Names Maple Leafs Starter vs. Canadiens
Craig Berube, the Toronto Maple Leafs head coach, confirmed Joseph Woll's injury status and the starting goaltender ahead of their first game of the season against the Montreal Canadiens.
After a long preseason, the Maple Leafs are ready to kick off their 2024-25 season tonight in Montreal. Once again, the team comes in with great expectations and a lot of pressure on their shoulders. But this edition of the Leafs could be the best we've seen in recent years. They made key acquisitions this summer to bolster all areas of their lineup. Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Max Pacioretty, and Steven Lorentz, are all set to play their first game with the Leafs, just like Craig Berube.
During a pre-game press conference, the Leafs' new head coach finally shared details on Joseph Woll's health and who will be between the pipes to face the Canadiens tonight.
Concerning Woll's health status, he stated that the goalie has a lower-body ailment, explaining why Dennis Hildeby was called up from the Marlies earlier today.
As of tonight's game, Anthony Stolarz will start between the pipes and try to win his first game as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Per Sportsnet's Luke Fox:
Stolarz was expected to play in the second of the back-to-back games, Thursday, against the New Jersey Devils, but Woll's injury forced the organization to review their plans. Woll hasn't been ruled out of tomorrow's game yet:
Stolarz already faced the Canadiens earlier this year, in the preseason for half a game. He allowed one goal on ten shots fired by the Habs, who sent a "B-team" to Toronto. The best players, including Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky, Cole Caufield, Michael Matheson, and Kirby Dach stayed in Montreal that night.
Tonight should be a much bigger challenge for the 2024 Stanley Cup champion. Especially considering that the last time the Canadiens and the Leafs met, Patrik Laine and David Reinbacher got long-term injuries.
In his career, Stolarz, 30, took part in 108 NHL games with the Flyers, Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks, and Florida Panthers since being drafted 45th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2012. He tallies a 43-31-9 record, a 2.68 goals against average, and a .915 save percentage.
