Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Woll, McMann, OEL & Stolarz – The Hockey Writers Toronto Maple Leafs Latest News, Analysis & More

Two teams on a losing skid squared off last night in Canada’s capital city, and it was the Ottawa Senators who came out on top with a 2-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The game wasn’t a case of poor play from either side—both teams showed solid effort—but the Maple Leafs found themselves on the wrong end of a couple of fluky goals.

Bobby McMann opened the scoring early for Toronto, putting in his 14th of the season past Ottawa’s Anton Forsberg just 3:46 into the game. The Maple Leafs’ Joseph Woll was steady between the pipes, finishing with 21 saves. However, after Tim Stutzle’s first-period goal tied things up for the Senators, Shane Pinto broke the tie midway through the third with a bizarre goal that deflected off his knee from a Matthew Highmore pass.

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Had the luck been equal, Nicholas Robertson’s shot would have also crossed the goal line late in the game, but it didn’t. Ottawa held on for the win and snapped their two-game losing streak. 

Item 1: Fluky Goal Spoils Joseph Woll’s Strong Performance

As noted, Joseph Woll played well but was unlucky. The game-winning goal was a fluke. The puck ricocheted off a defender’s stick, another stick, and finally Pinto’s knee before slipping over Woll’s shoulder and barely (and I mean barely) crossing the goal line. 

Despite the unlucky goal, Woll was strong in the net. However, his team struggled to score. He’s now 17-8-0 with a 2.69 goals-against average (GAA) and a .907 save percentage in 24 starts. Look for Woll to continue handling the workload until Anthony Stolarz (out with a knee injury) returns.

Item 2: Bobby McMann Takes Advantage of His Top-Line Chance

It looked good for the Blue & White early in the game when Bobby McMann scored on a wrist shot from the high slot after Mitch Marner set him up from behind the net. McMann, filling in for the injured Matthew Knies (out with an upper-body injury), looked right at home alongside Marner and Auston Matthews on the top line. He was around the puck all night, totaling seven shots on net, including six in the first two periods. 

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McMann has been producing well. He also has registered 69 hits in 42 games this season. He has five points (two goals and three assists) in his last five games. 

Oliver Ekman-Larsson registered an assist in last night’s loss to the Senators, helping out on McMann’s first-period goal. The assist extended Ekman-Larsson’s point streak to four games (one goal, five assists). Over these games, he’s been a steady presence in the top two defensive pairings. Like McMann, he’s also been a physical presence, registering 61 hits and 42 blocked shots through 49 games this season. 

Item 4: Anthony Stolarz Moves to LTIR; Nearing Return

Anthony Stolarz was placed on long-term injured reserve Saturday, allowing the Maple Leafs to recall Nikita Grebenkin from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate Toronto Marlies club. 

This marks Stolarz’s 21st straight game missed, but the move to LTIR doesn’t affect his timeline for return, which is approaching. There’s been no setback in his rehab. It seems like so long since we’ve seen him in the crease, so Maple Leafs fans can be forgiven for not remembering how good he was early in the season. Stolarz has put up a 9-5-2 record on the season with a solid 2.15 GAA and .927 save percentage in 17 games.

What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?

The Maple Leafs will look to bounce back when they host the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday. Although their recent play hasn’t been horrible, Toronto has dropped two straight games. Surprisingly, the team can’t score. Does John Tavares make that much of a difference?

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Despite playing well enough, the team struggles to generate enough offense, which has become a big issue. Earlier in the season, the Maple Leafs found ways to win tight games even when they probably didn’t deserve to. But now, with the “worm turning,” they’ll need to find a way to reignite their offensive production and get back to winning ways.