Goaltender Joseph Woll Sparks Injury Concerns Following Rare Four-Game Stretch

For the first time all season, Joseph Woll played four games in a row as he was the starter against the Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils, Montreal Canadiens, and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

After his most recent win where he turned aside 27 of 30 shots, the goaltender was noticeably absent from practice this morning.

It has been made clear that Dennis Hildeby will get the start against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday, although Woll's absence was still concerning enough to raise some suspicion.

After all, Woll is someone who has dealt with an array of injury problems over the years which makes it normal to jump to conclusions.

When reports first surfaced about the goalie's absence, the immediate fear was that he was injured and could miss a bit of time. However, Craig Berube has made it clear that Woll got the day off for maintenance.

After four games in a row, the goaltender definitely deserves a day off and we're glad to see it is nothing serious.

In fact, the Leafs probably should have never let Woll play this much, in the first place. Clearly, they don't have that much trust in Hildeby.

Thankfully for the Leafs, Anthony Stolarz will be returning to the lineup soon, which will definitely be a gift for the roster.

Stolarz and Woll were the best tandem in the league prior to the Christmas break, and there is no doubt his return will even out the playing time.

Only time will tell who ends up being the team's number one as they head into the postseason.