Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Joseph Woll is about to get an extended run of playing time in the wake of Anthony Stolarz going down with an injury that will <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/leafs-anthony-stolarz-to-miss-4-6-weeks-mri-reveals-no-structural-damage-to-knee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">keep him out of the lineup for at least a month</a>.
Given that the Leafs&#8217; other options are either inexperienced or working their way back from injuries, Woll will be thrust into the starting role. While there are certainly concerns about how long it will withstand, given Woll&#8217;s injury history, the team feels confident they will get through it and the rest of the group will step up.
Head coach Craig Berube told reporters Tuesday that Woll and current backup Dennis Hildeby will be relied on in this upcoming stretch given there are <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/how-should-maple-leafs-manage-joseph-woll-and-dennis-hildebys-starts-until-anthony-stolarz-returns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a lot of back-to-backs upcoming on the schedule</a>.
&#8220;I am confident,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Woll has played really well this year. Hildeby has come in, won us two games, and played pretty well. It is what it is. It is a team game.&#8221;
Woll has been put in a position to get the net for a bulk of games before as last season saw him being utilized a lot by former coach Sheldon Keefe during a time where Ilya Samsonov struggled with consistency. The overall experience as the full-fledge starter is not there for him just yet but this next stretch will be an opportunity to show that he can be relied on to carry the load for a long period.
Assuming there are no further injuries, we should expect to see Woll get at least 12 starts or more over the next month and change before <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/3-keys-to-the-maple-leafs-withstanding-anthony-stolarzs-absence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stolarz is eligible to return</a>.
“I’ve got lots of confidence in our group. Joseph has played extremely well. ” Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said. &#8220;This is nothing new for us; we’ve been dealing with some injuries and that’s why we’ve got depth at all the positions. Joe and Anthony have been tremendous as a pair for us, but we’ve got Dennis and Matt and (Artur Akhtyamov) ‘Double A’ down there, so we feel we’ve got some depth at the position and this is why we’ve have it.”
It&#8217;s not surprising that the Leafs feel that they can weather the storm and keep things steady. After all, Toronto went 7-2-0 in the nine games that captain Auston Matthews was out, while remaining afloat during Jake McCabe&#8217;s five-game absence.
&#8220;I mean, I think it&#8217;s pretty high,” Matthews said when asked about the confidence the team feels in handling the loss of Stolarz.
&#8220;I think Joe has been great for us and the Beast has been solid when he’s been up and has had to play. I think we have a lot of confidence in our goalies. Obviously, you hope the best for Stolie. He’s been great for us all year. But guys on forward or D side of it, guys get injured and guys got to step up. Same thing for the goalies”
Woll stressed the importance of keeping the focus on the day-to-day which is what he has learned throughout his career so far. He knows that he will be relied upon heavily so it is about maintaining the balance of staying present in the moment while keeping his body ready for the grind.
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“To play in this league, it’s very important to keep a very short-term focus,&#8221; he said. &#8220;You can have a bit of looking into the future in terms of how you take care of yourself and stuff like that. But your attention needs to be pretty day to day. Obviously, all the support and hope that he gets better as quickly as possible. And at the other end of it, just focus on doing my job. Get prepared for whatever the team needs.”
<a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/maple-leafs-joseph-woll-to-start-vs-stars-david-kampf-will-return-to-lineup" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Woll will get the nod for Wednesday&#8217;s game</a> against the Dallas Stars, beginning a stretch where he&#8217;s clearly Toronto&#8217;s unquestioned No. 1.
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Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Joseph Woll is about to get an extended run of playing time in the wake of Anthony Stolarz going down with an injury that will <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/leafs-anthony-stolarz-to-miss-4-6-weeks-mri-reveals-no-structural-damage-to-knee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">keep him out of the lineup for at least a month</a>.

Given that the Leafs' other options are either inexperienced or working their way back from injuries, Woll will be thrust into the starting role. While there are certainly concerns about how long it will withstand, given Woll's injury history, the team feels confident they will get through it and the rest of the group will step up.

Head coach Craig Berube told reporters Tuesday that Woll and current backup Dennis Hildeby will be relied on in this upcoming stretch given there are <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/how-should-maple-leafs-manage-joseph-woll-and-dennis-hildebys-starts-until-anthony-stolarz-returns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a lot of back-to-backs upcoming on the schedule</a>.

"I am confident," he said. "Woll has played really well this year. Hildeby has come in, won us two games, and played pretty well. It is what it is. It is a team game."

Woll has been put in a position to get the net for a bulk of games before as last season saw him being utilized a lot by former coach Sheldon Keefe during a time where Ilya Samsonov struggled with consistency. The overall experience as the full-fledge starter is not there for him just yet but this next stretch will be an opportunity to show that he can be relied on to carry the load for a long period.

Assuming there are no further injuries, we should expect to see Woll get at least 12 starts or more over the next month and change before <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/3-keys-to-the-maple-leafs-withstanding-anthony-stolarzs-absence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stolarz is eligible to return</a>.

“I’ve got lots of confidence in our group. Joseph has played extremely well. ” Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said. "This is nothing new for us; we’ve been dealing with some injuries and that’s why we’ve got depth at all the positions. Joe and Anthony have been tremendous as a pair for us, but we’ve got Dennis and Matt and (Artur Akhtyamov) ‘Double A’ down there, so we feel we’ve got some depth at the position and this is why we’ve have it.”

It's not surprising that the Leafs feel that they can weather the storm and keep things steady. After all, Toronto went 7-2-0 in the nine games that captain Auston Matthews was out, while remaining afloat during Jake McCabe's five-game absence.

"I mean, I think it's pretty high,” Matthews said when asked about the confidence the team feels in handling the loss of Stolarz.

"I think Joe has been great for us and the Beast has been solid when he’s been up and has had to play. I think we have a lot of confidence in our goalies. Obviously, you hope the best for Stolie. He’s been great for us all year. But guys on forward or D side of it, guys get injured and guys got to step up. Same thing for the goalies”

Woll stressed the importance of keeping the focus on the day-to-day which is what he has learned throughout his career so far. He knows that he will be relied upon heavily so it is about maintaining the balance of staying present in the moment while keeping his body ready for the grind.
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“To play in this league, it’s very important to keep a very short-term focus," he said. "You can have a bit of looking into the future in terms of how you take care of yourself and stuff like that. But your attention needs to be pretty day to day. Obviously, all the support and hope that he gets better as quickly as possible. And at the other end of it, just focus on doing my job. Get prepared for whatever the team needs.”

<a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/maple-leafs-joseph-woll-to-start-vs-stars-david-kampf-will-return-to-lineup" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Woll will get the nod for Wednesday's game</a> against the Dallas Stars, beginning a stretch where he's clearly Toronto's unquestioned No. 1.

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Auston Matthews, Brad Treliving are confident in Joseph Woll’s ability to handle increased workload

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