Leafs’ Jospeh Woll to return against Blackhawks after four-game absence

One of the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ top netminders is set to return to action.

When speaking to the media, head coach Craig Berube revealed that goaltender Joseph Woll will start on Tuesday night against the Chicago Blackhawks. Woll had missed the last four games with a lower-body injury.

Woll suffered the injury back on Dec. 4 against the Carolina Hurricanes. It hasn’t specifically been reported when or where the 27-year-old was hurt in the game, but his absence at the beginning of the third period led many to wonder what might be wrong.

It was just Woll’s eighth game since coming back from his early-season absence. He was placed on long-term injured reserve in late October after taking time away from the team for personal reasons. So far, the Dardenne Prairie, Mo. native has a record of 4-3-1, with a 2.44 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage. Including the win over the Hurricanes, Woll had won three of his last four starts.

In Woll’s four games on the shelf, Toronto struggled, going 1-1-2, including a disappointing 6-3 defeat at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers at Scotiabank Arena this past Saturday night. The recent slide has continued to hurt the Leafs’ chances of fighting for a playoff spot, despite the team winning three games in a row leading up to Woll’s injury.

The team will now hope that Woll can find a rhythm to string together a few wins and get back into the postseason hunt with a few months left in the regular season.

The Maple Leafs (14-12-5) currently sit seventh in the Atlantic Division, one point ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets for the worst record in the Eastern Conference. They come into Monday night five points back of the Boston Bruins for the last Wild Card spot.