The Toronto Maple Leafs announced Saturday morning that they have placed goaltender Joseph Woll on injured reserve retroactive to December 4. In a corresponding move, they recalled goaltender Artur Akhtyamov from the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL).

In an update that surely garnered a deep breath from the fanbase, Berube said he doesn’t foresee the injury keeping Woll out for too long. That said, for a team that’s been mum when it comes to the severity of injuries and has seen its fair share of setbacks, Berube’s hopeful outlook should be taken with a grain of salt.

Woll played the first 40 minutes of the Maple Leafs’ most recent game against the Carolina Hurricanes but appeared to tweak something on a save near the end of the second period. He was seen flexing his left leg and ended up leaving the game with what the team called a lower-body injury. He had 22 saves on 23 shots when he left and was replaced by Dennis Hildeby, who stopped all nine shots he faced to help lock up a 5-1 win over the Hurricanes.

If Woll indeed only misses a week, it will be a big break for a team that’s already been dealt their fair share of bad beats. He missed the first month and a half of the season to deal with a personal issue and came back at a time when the Leafs’ crease was in dire straits. In eight games since his return, he has a record of 4-3-1 with a goals-against average (GAA) of 2.30 and a save percentage (SV%) of .928.

An additional positive here is that Dennis Hildeby has been impressive in his limited showing at the NHL level this season, with a .919 SV% and a 2.86 GAA that outshines his 1-2-1 record. Akhtyamov, meanwhile, has had an up-and-down season with the Marlies, playing to a record of 7-5-1 with a GAA of 3.04 and a .896 SV%. He has yet to start an NHL game in his career, so it’s entirely possible that he could make his debut soon, as the Leafs probably want to see what they have in house before they go searching for insurance via trade or waivers.

The Maple Leafs will host the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night and look to eclipse three wins in a row for the first time this season.

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