Maple Leafs season to rest on shoulders of rookie goalie in Game 4

The Toronto Maple Leafs will have to rely on a rookie goalie making his first career playoff start on Wednesday to try and save their season.

The team announced on Tuesday that rookie Joseph Woll will be getting the Game 4 start against the Florida Panthers after starter Ilya Samsonov was injured in their Game 3 loss. 

Veteran Matt Murray—who is a two-time Stanley Cup winner—will serve as Woll's backup. Murray was injured late in the season and has not been 100 percent. He has also struggled this season. 

Samsonov was injured in a collision with his teammate, Luke Schenn, on Sunday night. 

It is a literal must-win game for the Maple Leafs as they enter Wednesday night facing a 3-0 series deficit. It is a stunning result considering that they entered the series as heavy favorites against the No. 8 seed Panthers. Toronto had one of the best records in the league during the regular season and was riding the high that came from winning the organization's first playoff series since 2004. They did so by knocking off a Tampa Bay Lightning team that had played in three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals. 

But nothing has gone right for the Maple Leafs in the second round as they have been significantly outplayed by the Panthers, who have been one of the league's hottest teams over the past month. 

Woll has only appeared in 13 NHL games during his career (including two relief appearances this postseason) and has shown flashes of being a good NHL goalie. He had a .932 save percentage during his seven regular-season appearances this season.

This game is going to be a completely different animal though as it will come with Toronto's season on the line against one of the best offensive teams in the league.

If Toronto does not win it could result in significant changes to the organization this offseason. The Maple Leafs have one of the most talented rosters in the league on paper and five big-money stars (Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, Morgan Rielly and William Nylander), but have yet to have any real success in the playoffs. Prior to this season they lost in the first round six years in a row and have now yet to win a game in the second round after finally advancing.