Joseph Woll looks to have the edge for the Leafs’ No. 1 goaltending job
The rookie has started four of the last five games, and his numbers are better than those of Samsonov.
It’s probably too early to crown Joseph Woll as the Maple Leafs No. 1 goalie, but the coronation plans appear to be underway.
Woll has started three games in a row ahead of Ilya Samsonov, and four of the last five.
“Right now his performances are showing that he’s got that mind frame: ‘I want to show I can be a No. 1 goaltender. I’m still only 25
but the next 12 to 24 months are huge and I’ve got to make that step forward,’ ” said former NHL goalie Martin Biron, now an analyst
for TSN. “You’ve got to take that step forward and see if the Leafs think that you are an answer for the future.”
The six-foot-three rookie appears to have earned the trust of coach Sheldon Keefe. His goals-against average is going down, and the wins are going up.
“My feelings on it don’t really matter,” Keefe said. “It’s his teammates. They feel it back there.
“Clearly he’s the backbone of us getting these points … of late.”
The 2023-24 Leafs are a different group from last year at even strength; they are nowhere close to as defensively sound as they were.
Through 21 games last season, according to NaturalStatTrick.com, the Leafs had surrendered 196 high-danger scoring chances.
Through 21 games this year, they’ve surrendered 218.
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