Joseph Woll is out week to week for the Toronto Maple Leafs with a high ankle sprain sustained in a 4-3 win against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.
“It’s unfortunate, right?” Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said Thursday. “He’s been playing so well. He was building such great momentum here on his season and his career. It’s a setback here now.”
Woll left the game at 10:38 of the third period after making a save on a backhand shot from Rourke Chartier, who was near the side boards. He required assistance from teammates to leave the ice, unable to put any weight on his left leg.
He made 29 saves in 50:22 prior to the injury.
“It’s brutal,” Maple Leafs forward Mitchell Marner said. “You don’t wish that upon anyone. So, hopefully when news comes back it’s somewhat positive. But like I just spoke on, a couple massive saves from [Woll] tonight and he’s been doing it all year for us.”
The 25-year-old has started the majority of Toronto’s games this season, is 8-5-1 with a .916 save percentage in 15 games (13 starts).
“He was outstanding obviously tonight,” Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly said of Woll. “He’s been great every time he’s been in the net for us. So, when you’ve got a young guy like that who’s confident and playing as well as he is, that’s a good sign for our team.”
Martin Jones, who had been recalled from Toronto of the American Hockey League on an emergency basis with Ilya Samsonov unavailable due to an illness, made his season debut in relief. Jones had nine saves on 10 shots in 9:38.
“It was tough to watch, obviously,” Jones said of Woll’s injury. “You don’t want to see that. Just tried to get my head in the game and get ready to go.”
Jones, who signed a one-year, $875,000 contract with the Maple Leafs on Aug. 9, cleared waivers Oct. 9. He is 2-1-1 with an .870 save percentage in five AHL games this season.
He is 225-163-35 with a 2.71 GAA and .905 save percentage in 444 games (429 starts) with the Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, Philadelphia Flyers and Seattle Kraken.
“The confidence and faith is high [in Jones],” Keefe said. “He’s a veteran goalie, so a situation like tonight, that wouldn’t rattle him. He’s ready. He’s been a tremendous teammate when he’s been here and tremendous when he’s been down with the Marlies. He’s handled this whole situation incredibly well. That’s why you sign veteran depth. We were fortunate when he got through waivers and remained part of our organization. It’s for situations like this.”
Ilya Samsonov, who has missed two consecutive games with an illness, is close to returning. He is 4-1-3 with an .878 save percentage in 10 games this season.
Samsonov took the morning skate, but was “somewhat unavailable” Thursday, Keefe said.
