The Toronto Maple Leafs are in a heated race with the Florida Panthers for the top spot in the Atlantic Division. As three points separate them, one of the keys down the stretch will be goaltending. While Florida has future Hall of Famer Sergei Bobrovsky, the Maple Leafs may have the best goaltending tandem in the entire league.
Toronto netminders Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz have been the biggest surprise in the NHL, combining to give the Maple Leafs a well-rounded team from the net on out. Can they keep it going?
The youngster Woll and veteran Stolarz have combined to give Toronto a quality duo in net every night. Either goaltender is capable of stealing games on any given night and they may be the sole reason Toronto is in the spot they are in. While the offense is expected, goaltending has been an issue for years now and they look to have taken care of that this season.
Joseph Woll has been solid since Game 1
Overall, he has a record of 19-11 with a .909 save percentage and a 2.65 goals-against-average (GAA) with one shutout. His 19 wins are 15th in the league. His play has given the Toronto faithful hope they finally have the future No. 1 goaltender they hoped he would turn into. He is still young but he has performed tremendously and the future is bright for the young star Woll.
Stolarz has been the backup for most of his career but he has enjoyed much success in that role. Last season, he won the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers as he showed why he belongs in the league.
As an underrated goaltender, he shows up every game and gives the team a chance whenever he takes the net. He has had a tremendous season, as he has a record of 10-5-0-2 with a .929 save percentage and a ,208 GAA and one shutout. His save percentage is fifth in the league while his GAA is eighth.
Combined they are 29-16-0-2 with a .919 save percentage and a 2.36 GAA with two shutouts
The goaltending duo has been amazing but the defense as a whole has played well. They have given up 155 goals, which is 11th in the league. Their 2.84 GAA is 12th and their penalty kill is 13th, operating at a 79,9% clip.
If Florida was not the machine they are, Toronto may run away with this division. They have had the offense but now they have the goaltending and defense to match. The roster has had some bumps in the road but thy are fewer than in years past. If the Maple Leafs can keep this going they may surpass the first round and make some noise in the playoffs this season.