Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll has been named the NHL’s Third Star of the Week after winning his last two starts, including the second shutout of his career.
While goaltender Anthony Stolarz has rightfully earned much of the credit for the Maple Leafs’ success in the crease early on, Woll has slipped into a comfortable rhythm since returning from an injury that kept him out of the lineup for the first couple of weeks of the season. His 54 of 56 shots stopped over his last two games against the Vegas Golden Knights and Utah HC earned him third star of the week honours, coming together with a combined save percentage (SV%) of .964 and a goals-against average (GAA) of 1.00 in those games. Colorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen earned second star, and Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Zach Werenski came in as the first star.
Zach Werenski (@BlueJacketsNHL), Mikko Rantanen (@Avalanche) and Joseph Woll (@MapleLeafs) have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” presented by GEICO for the week ending Nov. 24.#NHLStats: https://t.co/0HHn87N7sQ pic.twitter.com/8AXTQfibnt
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) November 25, 2024
Woll backstopped the Maple Leafs to a 3-0 shutout win over the Golden Knights on Wednesday night, stopping all 31 shots he faced that night, and provided a performance that was almost equally as impressive on Sunday night, stopping 23 of 25 shots en route to a 3-2 victory over Utah HC. While the numbers might not jump off the page at you from that second start, both goals allowed were tip-ins, and he made several crucial saves to keep the game close when Utah started to pressure.
Woll is now near the top of the league in the GAA department, sitting at an even 2.00 and complemented by a .921 SV% and a record of 5-2-0 on the season. Stolarz, on the other hand, is near the top of the league from a SV% standpoint, sitting at .927% to go along with a 2.21 GAA and a 7-3-2 record. It’s been a rare yet refreshing display of rock-solid goaltending coming from both members of the tandem, an issue that the Maple Leafs have struggled with in the past.
Rantanen earned second-star honours with two goals and seven points in three games last week, while Werenski locked up the top spot with the same totals coming from the back end in the same amount of games. Woll’s recognition makes it the first time this season that a Maple Leaf has been named one of the stars of the week.
