As the TSN panel summed up Thursday night after the latest injury scare with Joseph Woll, Maple Leaf goaltending has become a test of “ability versus durability”.

Having a 1 and 1A rooming together on the roster is fine — unless both are in the medical tent. As of the third period of the 5-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, Woll was missing with a lower-body injury and coach Craig Berube’s update on Anthony Stolarz was really no update at all. Stolarz is still not on skates since a mid-November upper-body issue.

Toronto has two vital divisional home games coming up Saturday (Montreal) and Monday (Tampa Bay) and doesn’t know who will be manning the most important position.

WHAT’S THE LEAF DUO’S INJURY HISTORY?

Woll’s misfortunes, interspersed with his dogged attempts to hold the No. 1 job, are both frequent and frustrating.

A high ankle sprain cost him half a season in 2023-24, last year a lower-body injury put him on IR to open camp and following a month-long leave for personal reasons this autumn, his game-saving play and .927 save percentage in eight games was clouded by Thursday’s mishap.

He was shaking his left hip or knee late in the second period and didn’t return after intermission. It could’ve been the Leafs were just exercising caution, given their three-goal lead and the upcoming busy weekend.

But Craig Berube’s preference to go the vagary route with injury details did nothing to allay fears on Friday, a day off for the team after its 4-2 road trip. The coach’s statement that he hopes it’s not serious calls to mind his prediction Stolarz would be back quickly after departing one period into the Remembrance Day loss in Boston.

Stolarz has just begun making believers of people that he could take a No. 1’s workload at age 31 after a career as an NHL back-up when his play and the team’s went south, prior to him going on IR. The Leafs missed him last spring after Sam Bennett’s elbow to his head early in the second round against Florida.

CAN THE HILDEBEAST HELP?

Dennis Hildeby’s four relief appearances this year now exceed his three starts.

Or maybe that was part of the reason the Leafs lifted Woll on Thursday, as they trust the 6-foot—6 Swede as a cold-call closer. He made nine stops against a furious push by the Hurricanes, improving him to a .919 save percentage. Berube likes the way Hildeby fields pucks and gets lots of inertia behind his hard clears around the rim.

Though Hildeby’s shy nature doesn’t exude outward excitement in scrum interviews, teammates enjoy him taking up so much net just by standing there and how flexible he can make himself for a big man.

“The Beast came in and was unbelievable for us,” captain Auston Matthews told reporters in Raleigh. “(Carolina) is a high volume shot team, they bring plenty of guys to the net and he handled it.

“He comes in with a very quiet confidence (where Stolarz is a noted vocal presence) and knows what he’s doing. The more he plays and the more he’s around our group, he fits right in.

“He’s got his Swedish buddies (Oliver Ekman-Larsson, William Nylander, Calle Jarnkrok) and they take care of each other.”

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME LEAFS USED FIVE GOALIES IN ONE YEAR?

Counting Cayden Primeau’s three games in Woll’s early absence before he was re-claimed on waivers and Artur Akhtyamov’s brief call-up, the Leafs have had five in uniform so far.

In both ’22-23 and ‘23-24, Toronto had five stoppers get into at least one game. Woll was part of both quintets, which included Ilya Samsonov, Jack Campbell, Petr Mrazek, Erik Kallgren and Matt Murray. Michael Hutchinson was in two games, Jett Alexander played one minute.

Lhornby@postmedia.com
X: @sunhornby