TORONTO — With the season on the line, Sheldon Keefe and the Toronto Maple Leafs must make a decision.
Down 3-1 in their first-round series against the Boston Bruins, who will start in goal in a must-win Game 5. Ilya Samsonov, who started all four games but was replaced at the second intermission of Game 4? Or Joseph Woll, who succeeded Samsonov?
It’s a decision that could help the Leafs get back in the series. It’s possible that Keefe has already made this decision. “We need to improve on special teams and goaltending,” the Leafs coach remarked following Monday’s practice.
While Keefe denied to reveal his Game 5 starting, Woll did not remain late after practice, as he frequently does when Samsonov starts the next game. Coupled with the idea that Keefe wants to improve on the status quo? It implies that Woll could be tasked with helping to preserve the Leafs’ season.
Samsonov) has performed well in this series. “He’s come back when we needed him to,” Keefe explained. “But there are definitely some places where we could improve. And making more saves in important situations is a huge part of that.” Making those saves and keeping the Leafs’ season alive is an opportunity Woll has been preparing for.
First: He’s been in this situation before.
During the Leafs’ second-round series against the Florida Panthers last year, Keefe relied on Woll after Samsonov suffered an injury mid-game.Although Matt Murray was available (as he has been this season), Woll’s controlled play won out. He had a.941 save percentage throughout the final two full games of the series. Keefe might have discovered that Woll doesn’t require a lot of runway to make a difference in a series.
(Woll) managed it well,” Keefe said of Woll jumping in against the Panthers on short notice. “It didn’t seem to be too big a moment for him.”
The problem then was the same problem the Leafs have now. They can’t score enough in front of their goalie to help turn saves into wins.
Next: Behind the scenes, Woll has shown a steady hand and has committed himself to improving after a poor late-season stretch.
Back in November and December, Woll was dazzling with his glove hand and keeping his cool off the ice, leading many to believe he deserved the starter’s position. With high-end athleticism and improved decision-making from his AHL days, Woll had a.916 save % during his first 15 games of the season before being hurt, fulfilling years of promise with the Toronto Marlies. However, after returning from a high ankle sprain in late February, Woll’s save % dipped to.890 in his final ten regular-season appearances.
He’s had to fight the natural urgency to get back to that position immediately. Even as Woll has stumbled through the end of the season, he hasn’t lost that attitude. He’s leaned into it even further.
“Sometimes I can get in the mindset, and I think it’s to a certain extent for my whole life, thinking that when things don’t go well you need to do more, try harder,” Woll said.
What he’s learned throughout the past few months is there’s no sense in trying to rush through the improvement process.
That isn’t true for goaltenders. “You can’t try harder to stop the puck,” Woll added, a small smile forming. Woll has spent the last several weeks focused on letting the game come to him rather than forcing his readings. Despite the small sample size, Woll’s strong play in the third period of Game 4 indicated that his efforts are beginning to bear fruit.
On Monday Woll operated during and after practice with the positive, forward-thinking demeanour of a goalie ready for the challenge. He smiled and stuck to his routine without any time for reflection. “I believe in our team,” he said declaratively. Believe has come and gone for Woll, but now he argues he has it back for good. After being the starter for his entire three seasons at Boston College and then following up as the de facto starter during his four seasons with the Marlies, for the first time this season, Woll has not been tasked with doing the heavy lifting in goal.
