When Joseph Woll was unavailable to start the season in net for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Anthony Stolarz took the bull by the horns. With Stolarz going down with an injury on Thursday night against the Anaheim Ducks, it’s time for Woll to return the favour.

Stolarz appeared to tweak something in his lower half in the first period against the Ducks and didn’t return to the game. Woll came in for a relief effort to start the second frame, stopped 19 of 20 shots, and helped lead the Leafs to victory. Woll mentioned after the game to reporters that coming in for the start of a period made the in-game adjustment a little bit easier. “You’re a little cold from sitting there, but it was nice to come in at the start of a period at least, and not have to go into the middle of a game.”

While the opportunity for more minutes is something Woll has been looking for all season, it’s never easy seeing his tandem partner go down with an injury, especially considering Woll knows exactly what Stolarz is going through, as both Maple Leafs’ netminders have had unfortunate luck with injuries throughout their careers. “It’s kind of mixed emotions. Obviously, I’m sad for him, I’ve been hurt and whatnot, and at the same time, I got a job to do. Hopefully he’s alright.”

Woll has been stellar when called upon this season, and while Stolarz has been the early-season MVP, the team is just as confident with Woll in the starter’s crease. Woll has been hot of late, with an 8-2-0 record in his last 10 games, and a .921 save percentage on the year. Head coach Craig Berube’s north/south structure has certainly helped alleviate the grade-A chances this year, but at the end of the day, it’s going to be Woll’s job to hold down the fort while the Maple Leafs navigate yet another injury.

The Maple Leafs are entering a back-to-back weekend as they’ll head to Motown to faceoff against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night, and host the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday. Darren Dreger of TSN is reporting that Dennis Hildeby has been recalled from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies and is a likely candidate to start Sunday at home.

As for Woll, the starter’s crease is his until Stolarz becomes available. While it’s not necessarily the circumstances he was looking for, Woll’s prepared to be the Leafs’ number-one netminder while his tandem partner gets healthy.

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