Joseph Woll deserves the Maple Leafs’ net going forward

After a couple of gutsy performances, the starting job in the Six might be handed over to someone else.

With a 25-save effort in Game 2 of the Atlantic Division Final, Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll helped his team pick up a 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers, taking a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

It’s been a strange couple of games for the 26-year-old. Woll was thrown into action a little past the halfway mark of Game 1 after Anthony Stolarz left the game after the veteran netminder was seen vomiting on the Leafs’ bench. Woll was able to do enough to help the Leafs hang for a 5-4 win, making 20 saves on the 23 shots he faced.

Woll’s efforts on Wednesday showed glimpses of what people saw last season, especially in Games 5 and 6 against the Boston Bruins, where Woll seemingly dragged the Leafs to seventh game. With Stolarz not expected to travel with the team to Florida this weekend, all eyes are on Woll as he’s back to being the No. 1 guy in Toronto.

On Thursday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton explain why the Leafs should ride Woll for the foreseeable future.

Frank Seravalli: My hot take is that Joe Woll is not giving up the crease again. I don’t care if Anthony Stolarz is healthy or what. At some point, I think [Woll’s] going to play well enough that they’re not going to take it out of his hands again. Is that crazy talk?

Carter Hutton: That’s not crazy at all, Frank. Honestly, I made a statement earlier in the year – I said if the Leafs win the Stanley Cup, I wouldn’t be surprised if Joseph Wall was in the Conn Smythe running. He has such a high-end upside to him in his mental preparation, the way he manages the game. I thought coming off the bench in Game 1…leaving us a little bit more. He made some good saves late in the game, and they were able to get the win. At this time of year, it’s about winning hockey games. I thought last night he was good. He got better as the game went on. He settled in. … His athletic ability to get to those pucks and make those saves are huge.

I don’t think he gets overwhelmed in the moment. I think that’s something that’s very important. … So, Joseph Wall, what a great performance. Now, going down to Florida, there’s going to be a big challenge for him, but I think he’s only going to get better as the series settles in here.

You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…