Berube Gives Honest Opinion of Joseph Woll's Season Debut with the Maple Leafs

Another opportunity to get back into the win column was squandered by the Maple Leafs on Saturday night in Chicago, as the Blackhawks scored two unanswered goals in the 3rd period to take a 3-2 lead that they would not surrender.

The Leafs are a banged-up group at the moment, and the return of Joseph Woll could not have come at a better time with Anthony Stolarz currently sidelined with an upper-body ailment.

While Woll did not pick up the win in his season debut with the Leafs last night, he did get plenty of puck touches, stopping 29 of the 32 shots he faced on the evening, so there were some positives, and according to Craig Berube, Woll did all that was expected of him.

Despite his strong play, Woll was outdueled by the guy at the other end of the ice, Spencer Knight, who stopped one more puck than the other guy to seal the deal and pick up the win. Woll's .906 SV% was good, but Knight's .939 SV% was better.

Woll looked surprisingly composed all night, despite having missed the first 18 games of the season due to a personal leave of absence, followed by a brief conditioning stint with the Toronto Marlies. Looking that good in a season debut a quarter of the way through the season is not an easy feat.

Woll's next chance to get back between the pipes will come on Tuesday when the Leafs host Berube's old team, the St. Louis Blues. A Missouri native, Woll should pick up the start against his home State franchise, even if Stolarz is ready to return from injury this week.