The Toronto Maple Leafs will rely on goaltender Joseph Woll for their game against the Capitals on Tuesday night in Washington.
• Also read: If I had to do it over again, would Juraj Slafkovsky still be the first pick in the 2022 draft?
This was hinted at by head coach Sheldon Keefe, who praised the American goalkeeper after he came on for Ilya Samsonov in Saturday night’s clash against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Woll was perfect at blocking all 28 shots thrown his way.
“It’s not easy to get into a game like this when you have no right to make mistakes. It was excellent to play the way he played,” said the Toronto team pilot after his team’s 4-3 overtime win.
However, Woll did not want to say whether Woll would automatically be there more often in the next team encounters, but he assured that his performances combined with Samsonov’s setbacks would put pressure on the Russian.
Difficult start for Samsonov
Samsonov’s last performance against Tampa Bay was disastrous. He allowed three goals on four shots before leaving his spot in front of the net.
“You can’t allow three goals with four shots, that’s all,” Keefe said at a news conference when asked about the reason for his goalkeeper’s withdrawal after just 13 minutes and 29 seconds of play.
Samsonov, who has had the most starts so far this season, has had a difficult start to the season despite winning two games. In four games, he posted a goals-against average of 4.34 and an efficiency percentage of 0.831, which is well below the numbers he put up last season.
• Also read: “Maybe I need to buy glasses” – Ilya Samsonov
Woll, meanwhile, has maintained a 1.69 goals allowed average and .949 save percentage through two games in 2023-2024.