Nylander credits Woll after starring in Game 6: 'Was incredible for us'
Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll delivered again Thursday in his second start of the postseason, falling a split second short of posting a shutout.
With the Boston Bruins scoring with 0.1 seconds left, Woll finished with 22 saves as the Maple Leafs kept their season alive once again with a 2-1 win in Game 6.
The 25-year-old has been dominant since taking over the net from Ilya Samsonov for the third period of Game 4. He's stopped 54 of 56 shots faced in the first rounds, backstopping the Maple Leafs to two victories with their season on the line.
“It was nice to get on the board scoring two goals for sure, but it was our team effort tonight,” William Nylander said after taking the starring role in Game 6. “We battled and competed the entire 60 and Joseph Woll was incredible for us as well.”
Woll took over the starting role for the Maple Leafs early in the season as Samsonov struggled, but his campaign was derailed by a high-ankle sprain suffered in early December. After going 8-5-1 prior to the injury, Woll posted a 4-6-0 record after returning in late February, with Samsonov reemerging as the team's starter.
He's made the most of his latest chance in net, while plenty of credit to his teammates, who held the Bruins without an even-strength shot into the second period on Thursday.
“It was awesome to see [our defensive effort] in front of me,” Woll said. “It gives me a lot of confidence back there when our group has been playing like that the past couple games and guys are laying out and blocking shots and coming up big in those moments.”
There's no doubt that the net will be Woll's once again as the Maple Leafs attempt to complete their comeback from down 3-1 on Saturday. Woll after Tuesday's Game 5 victory on his familiarity with TD Gardens, having played there with Boston College.
“I’m very excited,” he said Thursday of the looming Game 7 in Boston. “It’s a great building to play in.”