Maple Leafs’ Joseph Woll starts vs. Blackhawks, Brandon Carlo out with lower-body injury
Woll played two games with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies and worked his way back into shape after returning from personal leave on October 24.
“No matter what situation I’m put in, I’m going to have the same mentality. Whether it’s game one or the Stanley Cup Final, it doesn’t matter,” Woll said after Friday’s practice. “I think, you know, that way I’ve realized the importance of consistency and I’m just going to come out and do my best, stick to my routine and the things that I know.”
“He looked great, today he was unreal,” William Nylander said of Woll on Friday. “He looks really good and it will be nice to have him back.”
Brandon Carlo has been ruled out of Saturday’s game due to a lower-body injury and will be replaced by Philippe Myers. Carlo was assigned a maintenance day and did not participate in training on Friday.
Easton Cowan returns to the Maple Leafs lineup, joining Matthew Knies and Nicolas Roy on the line. Cowan was assigned to the Marlies on November 5, but was called up on Friday due to various injuries. The 20-year-old had one goal and four assists in ten games to start the year with the Maple Leafs.
Sammy Blais is a healthy scratch for Saturday’s match.
It was a busy day overall for the Maple Leafs, with Troy Stecher claimed off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers. Stecher is a 31-year-old right-handed defenseman with good mobility, and could be another option for the Maple Leafs as they look for the ideal pairings. Anthony Stolarz was placed on injured reserve on Saturday, retroactive to November 11, so expect Dennis Hildeby to rotate with Woll in the coming week.
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