William Eklund scores by accident
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Joseph Woll isn’t lingering on poor start, takes accountability after loss to Sharks

Photo credit: © David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Mar 29, 2025, 10:30 EDTUpdated: Mar 29, 2025, 09:14 EDT
Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll wasn’t exempt from criticism following Thursday’s 6-5 loss to the San Jose Sharks, and he took responsibility for an atypically poor performance, following Friday’s practice.
Woll allowed five goals on 35 shots, and made a major blunder in the second period, firing a wayward pass off Sharks forward William Eklund, that ricocheted into the Leafs’ net. Toronto rallied in the final minute of regulation, as John Tavares and William Nylander scored to force overtime, but couldn’t pull off the victory in a shootout.
“Reflecting on myself as an individual, I don’t think it was my best performance,” Woll said Friday. “I know that. I think the important thing is to have a short memory and to look back and find things, and I’ll do that. I’ll do the work of making sure from the experience as best as I can. From a team standpoint, I thought it was pretty awesome by the guys for them to come back and score two late ones like that, it was pretty cool to see them pick up the slack for me like that.”
Eklund’s goal was a true blooper and most reasonable people would write it off as anomaly. Woll emphasized the importance of letting the moment go, as the season marches on.
“Just a bad play. Sometimes you make bad plays. I was looking up ice. My brain turned off for a second, and it’s unfortunate,” Woll said.
“Once something like that happens, you have to do your best to put it behind you. There’s no point in lingering on it.”
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube did not declare his starter Friday, so at the time of this filing, it’s unclear whether Woll or Anthony Stolarz will play against the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday. Toronto concludes its road trip against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday.
Woll and Stolarz are still auditioning for the playoff starter role, with 10 games remaining in the regular season. Woll has posted a 24-13-1 record in 38 appearances, with a .905 save percentage, while saving 11.1 goals above expected in all situations via MoneyPuck. Stolarz has recorded a 15-8-3 mark with a .917 save percentage and 14.2 goals saved above expected.
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