Mike Fink

Fink: Don’t Blame Joseph Woll For Rough AHL Start - Hockey HotStove All eyes were on Joseph Woll on Saturday night, at least in the American Hockey League (AHL). The Toronto Maple Leafs sent their backup to the Marlies,

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Joseph Woll had a rough start in the net for the Marlies in his return to the ice. Toronto fans shouldn’t blame him for it

That's all folks!!
3-2 Lehigh Valley
Shots are 36-24 Lehigh Valley
Phantoms are 8-3-1 and have four wins in a row. As the kids say, they are a wagon

Toronto net is empty now

A big PK by Lehigh Valley. With a 3-2 lead with only 3:29 left in the third, you wonder when Toronto will pull Woll for the extra skater

The goal is the fourth of the season for Groulx. Assisted by Alex Nylander (5th) & Vinny Lettieri (4th)

And seconds later, Toronto heads to the power with Lane Pederson to the box. With 6:11 left in the third, they can tie up the game

And that's what happens. A good bounce allows Benoit-Olivier Groulx to find a wide-open look and an easy goal
3-2 Lehigh Valley

Toronto is starting to get some pressure but still no goal to show for it. Have to imagine they'll break through soon considering the pressure they are getting

To good looks from Toronto but Aleksei Kolosov stops them both. He's up to 20 saves on the night fyi

Another strong PK from Toronto. So, there's something they can hang their hat on

With 18:12 left in the third, Lehigh Valley is back to the power play. It's B-O Groulx to the box

We are back for the third period. It's 3-1 Lehigh Valley and considering Toronto came back from a 3-0 deficit earlier in the week, this game is far from over

That's a wrap on the second period:
3-1 Lehigh Valley
Shots are 26-18 Toronto
The puck movement from Lehigh Valley allows them to dominate play in the second

With 37 seconds left in the second, Lehigh Valley is back on the power play. It's Easton Cowan to the box

Many #Leafs fans will look at this start by Joseph Woll and say he's not ready for the NHL. He has allowed 3 goals so far. To be fair, the Lehigh Valley offense is tough to stop and has 24 shots through 37 minutes of action

The goal is the second of the season for Alexis Gendron. Assisted by Lane Pederson (2nd) & Christian Kyrou (6th)

Lehigh Valley gets a 2 on 1 rush and Alexis Gendron gets it past Joseph Woll
3-1 Lehigh Valley

A big four-minute PK by Toronto to keep this game 2-1.

It's a four-minute power play btw. So, a big chance for Lehigh Valley to get another (although that's obvious)

With 10:32 left in the second, Lehigh Valley heads to the power play. It's B-O Groulx to the box

The goal is the fifth of the season from Lane Pederson. Assisted by Ty Murchison (2nd) & Alex Bump (5th)

The pressure from Lehigh Valley allows Lane Pederson to find a juicy rebound near the net and another goal in this period
2-1 Lehigh Valley

The goal is #Flyers prospect Devin Kaplan's third of the season. Assisted by Anthony Richard (6th) & Christian Kyrou (5th)

Great puck movement in the offensive zone give Devin Kaplan an open look, and he goes to the top shelf to tie the game
1-1

We are back for the second. It’s a 1-0 game and a lot of good goaltending so far. Considering both offenses are above league-average, expect some goals here

That's a wrap on the first period:
1-0 Toronto
Shots are 14-9 Toronto
The two storylines are Joseph Woll looking sharp so far & Borya Valis still scoring

#Leafs prospect Borya Valis is a rookie who went undrafted. He's the Marlies top scorer with 6 goals in 12 games. Assisted by Henry Thrun (4th) & Jacob Quillan (11th)

Borya Valis finds the puck near the net and finishes the scoring chance. It's his 6th goal of the season
1-0 Toronto

Through 16 minutes, it's been all about the goaltending. Still scoreless with Joseph Woll making 9 stops & Aleksei Kolosov making 11 saves

And a strong PK by Lehigh Valley to keep this game scoreless. It looks like a goaltending duel is developing (which makes sense)