For Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll, his last two starts did not go anywhere near according to plan as he surrendered 4 goals in each of his two games against the Boston Bruins this week after a successful return to action last week against the Arizona Coyotes.
Conversely, Ilya Samsonov has been playing some very good hockey for the Leafs of late, posting wins in his last two starts, including a 25-save win in Buffalo in which he carried a sparkling .960 SV%.
With both goaltenders having experienced some highs and some lows this season, it's important that the Leafs find the right balance down the stretch to both keep Samsonov playing at the top of his game, while also helping Woll to find his groove with the playoffs approaching. To that end, Woll is expected to ride the pine tonight, backing up Samsonov as the 27-year-old netminder looks for his 3rd consecutive win.
Samsonov was spotted going through the motions of the team's starting goaltender, leaving the ice first, indicating that he'll draw in tonight against a Montreal Canadiens team who have struggled of late to the tune of a 2-6-2 record over their last 10 games.
Samsonov has won 4 of his last 5 starts and, at this point, would appear to be the 1A in the tandem between he and Woll, though there's still plenty of time for that to change as Woll continues to find his stride after missing more than 2 months with an ankle injury.
