Joseph Woll would be the first to tell you he needs to be better right now.

Eleven goals against in the past two games on an expected goals count of 6.66. Pulled after 40 minutes against Minnesota. It’s not a huge sample size, but Woll himself knows he needs to be better as the schedule remains busy leading into the Olympic break next month.

“I think I get very focused on my game, so I don’t think I process too much about what the team’s doing, which can be a good and a bad thing,” Woll told reporters following Monday’s game. “But at the end of the day, the result’s not how I wanted it. And the last couple of games, obviously, not the result I want. Go to the drawing board, learn from it. Tomorrow’s a new day, flush it and get back to work.”

Dennis Hildeby has played well enough this season for the team to be confident in throwing him in the net against Detroit on Wednesday. But Woll’s “the guy” while Anthony Stolarz is out, and they’re showing their belief by going back to him for the second consecutive start.

Wednesday’s contest is the second of a four-game homestand this week. It’s busy, but the lack of travel can be good to help reset.

“I get it, last game was a tough game,” coach Craig Berube said. “With the travel and everything, our team wasn’t at our best. I don’t think we gave him the opportunity to be successful in that game. He’s been our guy, so that’s why I’m going with him.”

Woll hasn’t been spectacular by any means this year, numbers-wise. But he gets the job done more often than not. He has a 1.5 goals saved above expected at 5-on-5 this season, but has a more impressive 3.62 since Dec. 1. That’s the Joseph Woll the Leafs need tonight.

No question about it, Monday’s showing was an absolute stinker from Woll. He’s prone to off nights like that, but that was easily his worst game of the season. The Red Wings currently sit eight points ahead of Toronto in the Atlantic, so Wednesday’s game won’t be an easy one.

There isn’t much you can do when your team is down a man. But there were too many instances of Woll looking too out of control in his crease and chasing pucks. He is specifically struggling with his high blocker now – something that could be attributed to the 6-foot-3 goaltender getting down too early, giving shooters more to work with up high. Woll has also been a victim of keeping his glove hand too low at times. It feels like he’s seeking pucks more than letting them come to him.

“I think I’d be naive if I said my game is perfect and there’s nothing for me to learn,” Woll said Monday. “Sometimes learning experiences are fun.  Sometimes you win and you learn. Sometimes you lose and you learn,  they’re not so fun.”

Woll has typically played well against the Red Wings. He boasts a 2-1 record against Toronto’s Original Six rival, including an impressive 31-save effort last April. But Detroit has won six of its past seven games, so they’ll definitely come out flying tonight. Detroit has never been a tougher opponent during Woll’s NHL tenure than they are now.

It’s common for teams to give a goalie a rest after a bad start. But sometimes, it’s better to rip the band-aid and not let the keeper think too much about it and let him loose as soon as possible. For what it’s worth, Woll hasn’t lost three times in a row at any point this season.

Woll will continue to get the bulk of the starts until Stolarz’s eventual NHL return. Toronto plays again on Friday against Vegas before wrapping up the week against the dominant Colorado Avalanche on Sunday. Next week won’t start off much easier, with Buffalo on the docket for Jan. 27 before Toronto’s back on the road to take on Seattle and Vancouver. It’s going to be an important stretch, with Toronto currently outside of a wild-card playoff spot.

Woll could realistically get another four starts over the next week and a half. And as long as he moves past the recent cold stretch, Woll – and the Leafs – will be perfectly fine.

Introducing Off The Roster—Toronto Sports, Unfiltered! Toronto sports fans, your new favourite conversation has arrived. Hosted by Cabbie Richards, Lindsay Dunn, and Dan Riccio, Off The Roster dives into the city’s legendary plays, brutal trades, OG jerseys, celebrity tweets, and everything in between. Raw, fun, and totally unfiltered, this is Toronto sports like you’ve never heard it before. Tune in live every weekday morning on the Nation Network YouTube channel, or catch episodes wherever you stream podcasts. Proudly brought to you by our founding partner, PROLINE. Off The Roster—the new sound in the 6ix.