Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Wall suffered an apparent lower-body injury Thursday against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Center and is “going to be out for a while,” Leafs coach Sheldon said. Keefe said.
Woll made a pretty standard save with his glove, attempting to stop a shot by Senators forward Drake Batherson, but fell awkwardly to his lower body as he did so. The 25-year-old immediately felt severe pain on the ice, but was helped to the locker room about midway through the third period. he didn’t come back.
“We will determine the extent of (his injuries) once we get home,” Keefe said.
Wall made 29 saves before leaving the game, and the Leafs held on to win 4-3.
Woll has started 13 of Toronto’s 15 games so far this season and has saved 449 of 490 shots. With a .915 save percentage, Wall is one of the best players in the league and will be the Leafs’ first starting goalie since James Reimer, whom they drafted and developed.
The Leafs host the Nashville Predators on Saturday.
What does this mean for the Maple Leafs?
It’s hard to imagine a worse scenario for the Leafs than losing their new No. 1 goalie. Wal’s job this season has meant keeping the Leafs in games, as evidenced by his multiple highlight-reel saves against the Senators as the Leafs struggled in the first period. . Woll was in the Calder Trophy conversation heading into the game, stopping 29 of 31 shots in the 50 minutes before leaving the ice.
It’s hard to say for sure, but the fact that Wohl struggled to put weight on his left foot and appeared to be shaking off the ice is concerning.
Concerns about Ilya Samsonov were already rife after some struggles early in the season. The Leafs’ defense hasn’t been at its best, which makes the problem even worse. Add it all up, and seeing Wohl grab his lower body before being helped off the ice could be a turning point in their season. — Joshua Cloke, Maple Leafs Staff Writer
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(Photo: Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire, Getty Images)
