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Craig Berube makes strong statement with starting goalie decision against the Islanders


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Alexander Cole
January 3, 2026  (11:58)
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Jan 1, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Joseph Woll (60) makes a save against the Winnipeg Jets in the second period at Scotiabank Arena.
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll was pulled against the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night, bringing into question whether or not he would play against the New York Islanders.

Joseph Woll has been the starting goalie for the Toronto Maple Leafs ever since Anthony Stolarz went down with a mysterious injury.
Dennis Hildeby has been the backup, and he has done a solid job ever since getting the call. He even had a phenomenal performance in relief of Woll on Thursday night in a 6-5 win against the Winnipeg Jets.
Tonight, the Leafs are playing against the New York Islanders, and there has been all sorts of concern about whether or not Woll should get the start.
After all, he has been playing most of the games as of late, and after allowing four goals on 17 shots, no one would bat an eye if Berube went in a different direction.

Craig Berube picks his starting goalie against the New York Islanders

On Saturday morning, it was revealed that Joseph Woll would be getting the start, which is quite the statement from head coach Craig Berube.
Clearly, he still trusts Woll and believes that Woll is the team's best shot at getting a win against one of the Metropolitan Division's top teams.
The Maple Leafs find themselves two points back of a Wild Card spot, and if they continue to rack up wins, they could easily get into solid ground.

Is Joseph Woll up to the task?

After Thursday night's game, Woll has a goals-against average of 2.74 and a save percentage of .916, which is solid, but could be better.
The Maple Leafs find themselves in a position where they need their goaltending to be as good as possible; otherwise, they won't go anywhere.
With Stolarz out for a while, it will be up to Woll to put this team on his back and truly show out.
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Craig Berube makes strong statement with starting goalie decision against the Islanders

Do you believe Joseph Woll will get the win for the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight?


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