Joseph Woll discusses jumping into action to relieve Anthony Stolarz vs. Capitals

The injury trouble continued for Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz on Wednesday night.

Facing the Washington Capitals, the 32-year-old goaltender went down after making a pad save minutes into the game. He then left the ice in visible discomfort and was ruled out with a lower-body injury. Stolarz was replaced by Joseph Woll, who played out the remaining 57 minutes en route to a 4-0 loss.

Speaking after the game, Woll touched on having to jump right into action, sharing that his top concern was the well-being of his teammate.

“He went down, didn’t look great,” Woll said. “So honestly, the first thing is worried for him. Then, just getting ready to go. But yeah, it’s kind of scary seeing him go down like that. He’s a pretty tough dude, so he goes down, it’s tough to see.”

Stolarz was already sidelined for nearly two months earlier this season while dealing with what was later revealed to be a nerve injury. The New Jersey native also left during warmups on March 21 after taking a puck to the throat, but was released from hospital the same night.

After Wednesday’s game, head coach Craig Berube confirmed Stolarz will be out on Thursday, but a full update on his status is yet to come. While he can’t offer a diagnosis, Woll shared he was able to speak with Stolarz after the game.

“Checked in on him and seems like he’s doing alright,” Woll said. “I don’t know the extent of the injury, it’s not for me to say. But he looked like he was doing a bit better, just disappointed.”

Woll conceded three goals on 17 shots on Wednesday night in relief of the injured Stolarz. Jumping in from the bench just minutes in, he shared his mentality entering the game.

“I feel like as the game went on, I got my feet under me a bit,” Woll said. “Sometimes when you go in like that, you don’t feel too bad. You’re not thinking about the game all day. And once you get into it, you’re just playing another game.”

The Maple Leafs return to the ice tomorrow night to face the New York Islanders. Berube confirmed Wednesday night that goaltender Artur Akhtyamov will be called up from the Toronto Marlies to start for the Maple Leafs. After playing nearly a full game against the Capitals, Woll will be starting the game on the bench once again.