The Toronto Maple Leafs continued their late-season slide on Friday, dropping another game—this time in overtime to the Carolina Hurricanes—and bringing their post-Olympics record to a 2-7-4 balance.
Toronto was close to getting away with a win, pushing the game into overtime, but ultimately could only earn a single point in a 4-3 OT loss. With another loss on the board, the Leafs have now lost 19 of their last 25 games.
The Hurricanes outshot the Leafs by 10 and had five power-play opportunities (converting one) to Toronto's two and no conversions, with Carolina also scoring a short-handed goal during one of the Maple Leafs power-play opportunities.
Joseph Woll, who has taken on a larger role in net of late, stopped 32 of 36 shots, but allowed goals on a penalty shot, a shorthanded breakaway, and most damagingly, in overtime.
John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Following the game, head coach Craig Berube pointed directly to Woll's late performance when assessing the outcome of Friday's matchup.
“I thought it was pretty competitive all around,” Berube said. “The difference is that I thought we took too many penalties—unnecessary, a couple of them, with trips and so on. Those are penalties you can’t take and shouldn’t take.
“We gave up a shorthanded goal, not recognizing pressure. Again, there was a turnover with our defense trying to change in the second period. We gave up another breakaway. To me, that was really the difference in the game.
“(Woll) has played well (recently). Tonight, in the end, I think—I don’t think (he played well). I know that we need a save, whether it is the OT or one of the breakaways. You just need a big save there.”
Woll, meanwhile, addressed his own performance after the loss, saying that whether games end in wins or losses, he always tries to learn something from them.
“I feel pretty solid, pretty solid in net,” Woll said. “The biggest thing for me is, whether something’s positive or negative, it’s always a learning experience. So, I’m just trying to stick to my process and learn how to adjust it if necessary. I’m hoping to play as much as I can and do whatever I can to help the team win. And with that, learn as much as possible.”
Woll has appeared in 33 games this season, posting a .904 save percentage and allowing 3.11 goals-against on average. He has a 14-12-6 record following Friday's loss.
The Maple Leafs will return to action on Saturday for the Battle of Ontario against the Ottawa Senators, puck drop set for 7 p.m. ET.
