Leafs announce starting goalie against Ovechkin and the Capitals

Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll gave up two goals on the first eight shots he faced on Tuesday, including one on the first shot against the New Jersey Devils. His performance was not great, particularly after an exceptional performance on Sunday against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Last week, Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe had mentioned that his plan was to split the remaining starts evenly between Woll and Ilya Samsonov, which has made it difficult to predict who will get the nod in which games. However, with Samsonov's current situation, Woll has been given back-to-back starts. With Samsonov having returned to practice on Wednesday, though, he's close to a return to game action, which means that Woll's opportunity to leave a lasting impression is decreasing by the day.

The good news for Woll is that he will get his third straight start Thursday night when the Leafs take on the Washington Capitals. It likely was not the plan for head coach Sheldon Keefe, but given that Samsonov injured his calf on Saturday, it's likely that Keefe wants to give him more time to recover.

Woll is 10-9-1 in 21 games with the Leafs this season and has posted a 2.96 GAA and .908 save percentage. Since returning from his ankle injury however, he has struggled going just 2-4-0 while only posting a save percentage better a .900 twice in those six starts. With the Tampa Bay Lightning just 4 points behind the Leafs for third in the Atlantic, tomorrow's start may be the most important one for Woll this season.