The hockey gods can’t stop bestowing us with nail-biters, it seems! In what could have been the end of the line for the Toronto Maple Leafs, it turned out to be anything but! Craig Berube’s boys shut out the Florida Panthers 2-0 to tie the Eastern Division second round 3-3 and force things into the tiebreaker, which would be game 7. And all thanks to the Leafs’ netminder Joseph Woll.
The Toronto team won its last Stanley Cup back in 1967. Naturally, with the long gap in between, the Leafs were determined to make this season count. And they looked more than ready to take on any challenge as they edged past arch-rivals, the Ottawa Senators, to reach the second stage of the playoffs. And tonight, courtesy of a special shutout performance by Joseph Woll, they aren’t out of the title race just yet!
The Athletic senior writer James Mirtle took to X on May 16 to highlight how the Leafs’ goalie went out of his way to keep the Cats at bay at the Amerant Bank Arena. Making 22 saves, Woll was like a rock in front of Toronto’s net, and Mirtle revealed how his standout display of skill got the former into a special club. “Joseph Woll is the first Leafs goaltender to post a shutout in a game when facing elimination since Curtis Joseph in Game 5 of the 2002 conference finals,” the social media update notes.
In the 2002 campaign, the Maple Leafs started the Conference Finals against the Carolina Hurricanes with a win, but lost the next three matches straight. A loss in Game 5 would have sealed their fate, but Joseph stood firm and forced the series into Game 6, which Toronto ultimately lost. However, the former Leafs star’s feat remained a solid display of gusto, which Woll has finally managed to match tonight.
Joseph Woll is the first Leafs goaltender to post a shutout in a game when facing elimination since Curtis Joseph in Game 5 of the 2002 conference finals.
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) May 17, 2025
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