The Toronto Maple Leafs took Game 1 against the Florida Panthers on Monday night, but it didn’t come without a dark cloud cast over the net.

You’ve definitely seen or heard about this by now, but just in case you missed it, Panthers forward Sam Bennett clipped Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz in the head with his glove when he was passing by the net, resulting in Stolarz’s departure from the game. He was sick on the bench shortly after, which resulted in him being pulled, and it was reported after the game that he was transported to hospital while the third period was going on.

Joseph Woll came into the game in relief of Stolarz and made four stops to close out the second period, but things got dicey in the third, when he allowed two goals early in the period to bring the Panthers within one with all the momentum on their side. Despite this, he was able to help them close out the win. It’s important to cut Woll a bit of a break here, considering it was the first game he played in since April 17, the last game of the regular season. To jump right into a playoff game against such a tough out like the Panthers and excel is a very tall task, so the fact that they were able to scrape together a win is all that people should be focusing on.

Head coach Craig Berube said that Stolarz was doing well on Tuesday morning, and surprisingly, didn’t rule out the goaltender starting Game 2 on Wednesday night. That said, coaches tend to be very tight-lipped in the playoffs regarding roster decisions so that they don’t give their opponent an edge from a scouting standpoint. It certainly feels like more of a possibility that Woll starts Game 2, just to give Stolarz some extra rest if nothing else, and if that’s the case, Leafs fans should not panic.

The reality is, the Leafs were treated to some of the best goaltending they’ve gotten in recent memory courtesy of Stolarz in 2024-25. He finished the season with a record of 21-8-3 with a goals-against average (GAA) of 2.14 and a save percentage (SV%) of .926. These are clear-cut Vezina-esque numbers if not for the fact that he only played 34 games this season, and despite questions about whether he would even be able to play that many, with his former career high being 28 games, he went past the number and excelled in doing so.

With Stolarz having started every playoff game to this point, it’s obvious that he eventually emerged as the Leafs’ clear-cut starter despite the team treating him as more of a 1A for most of the season, but that shouldn’t overshadow Woll’s play in the regular season. As the Leafs’ 1B, Woll actually won more games than Stolarz, finishing the season with a record of 27-14-1, complemented by a GAA of 2.73 and a SV% of .909. These are good numbers for a backup goaltender, and the fact that there were legitimate conversations about who the Leafs would start for Game 1 down the final stretch of the season indicates that the Leafs clearly view Woll as more than just a strong backup.

Although Woll struggled in his first bit of play since the end of the season, there’s no reason for Leafs fans to panic. Woll has a limited sample size of playoff hockey with the Leafs, but each time he made an appearance, he proved he was up to the task. He came into the series for the Leafs against the Panthers in Round 2 two years ago after Ilya Samsonov was injured, and although they lost the series in five games, it wasn’t to the fault of Woll. In three games, he had a GAA of 2.43 and a SV% of .915, numbers more than capable of backstopping a team to success, but it was clear from the get-go in that series that the team wasn’t built to defeat the Panthers. This time around, it may be a different story.

Last season, you could have made the argument that the series would have gone differently had Woll been in from the start, and if not that, you definitely could have made the argument that he was single-handedly responsible for getting them to Game 7. Samsonov started Games 1-4 before Woll was called in for Game 5 with the team down 3-1 in the series. He stopped 52 of 54 shots in his next two starts, leading the Leafs to two wins and getting the series to 3-3 before he was injured right at the end of Game 6. Samsonov started Game 7, and the Leafs ended up losing the series.

It’s also worth noting that Woll actually had better numbers against the Panthers this season. He stopped 34 of 36 shots in a 2-1 loss earlier this season, whereas Stolarz went 1-2-0 with a GAA of 3.06 and a SV% of .886. Take these numbers with a grain of salt. We saw firsthand in the first round that the Ottawa Senators’ regular-season success against the Leafs meant nothing in the playoffs, but it’s a stat that goes in Woll’s favour.

Overall, Woll may not have had the same stellar play as Stolarz this season, but if he’s the Leafs’ second-best option, they’re in good hands. He has the calmness and mentality to be able to handle the bright lights in Toronto, and although the stats aren’t on the same level as his counterpart, he’s proven that he can come up big in a game the same way Stolarz can and he’s earned the opportunity to play in these playoffs.