Maple Leafs’ Joseph Woll out week-to-week with high ankle sprain

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced on Saturday morning that goaltender Joseph Woll is out week-to-week with a high ankle sprain.

Woll, 25, injured himself on a non-contact play in the Maple Leafs’ Thursday night game against the Ottawa Senators. Midway through the third period, Woll stopped a shot and fell awkwardly before staying down and requiring help off the ice.

Martin Jones, who was called up from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies on an emergency basis as Ilya Samsonov dealt with an illness, played the last 10 minutes, giving up one goal on nine shots.

Woll is 8-5-1 with a .916 save percentage in 15 games this season. The 2016 third-round pick for the Maple Leafs has been a revelation for a Toronto squad that’s struggled to find a legitimate number-one goaltender.

Making seven regular-season appearances in 2022-23, Woll went 6-1-0 with a .927 save percentage.

Many are expecting Samsonov to step up in Woll’s absence. With a 4-1-3 record in 10 appearances, the Russian goaltender only has an .878 save percentage and has struggled mightily at times.

Last season, Samsonov took the number-one job from Matt Murray and ended up with a 27-10-5 record in 42 appearances, then helped the club win their first playoff series since 2004.

The Maple Leafs are 13-6-4 with 30 points in their first 23 games of thee season. They’re currently fourth in the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic Division, but are 7-1-2 and climbing up the standings.

Forward William Nylander leads the Maple Leafs in points with 30 (13 goals and 17 assists). Auston Matthews, the two-time Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy winner, has 16 goals in 23 games. After starting off slow, forward Mitch Marner is back to over a point-per-game pace with nine goals, 16 assists and 25 points in 23 games.

Their next game is Saturday night at home against the Nashville Predators, then they have back-to-back road games in The Big Apple, facing the New York Islanders on Monday and the New York Rangers on Tuesday.