The Toronto Maple Leafs dropped a 3-2 shootout decision to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday at KeyBank Center, an arena that is somewhat special for goaltender Joseph Woll.
Woll was drafted by Toronto at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft held in Buffalo and made his NHL debut in the same building in November 2021. Leafs road games there have historically drawn a heavy Toronto fanbase but Joseph Woll noted Saturday felt different.
“This is one of the first times I’ve played here where it didn’t feel like a home game, which kind of sucks,” Woll said post-game. “It’s nice to have our fans here, but good for Buffalo coming out. It was a pretty exciting building tonight.”
It was Woll’s third consecutive start and he stopped 30 of 33 shots in a losing effort. Despite the result, he said the team’s overall play gave him reason for confidence heading forward.
“I thought we were really solid,” Woll said. “Building off the third period from the last game, I thought we carried that straight into tonight. I liked our energy, a pretty solid game from us, from the back end out.”
The Leafs took a 2-1 lead on a second-period goal from Max Domi but Buffalo tied it on a Jack Quinn power-play goal at 11:21 of the second. Neither team scored in the third period or overtime. Quinn and Alex Tuch converted in the shootout, while Alex Lyon stopped both Toronto attempts to seal the win for Buffalo.
Joseph Woll got candid on losing Auston Matthews to season-ending injury
Toronto played without captain Auston Matthews on the night who suffered a season-ending knee injury Thursday against Anaheim after a knee-on-knee collision with Rdako Gudas.
When asked about losing his captain, Woll admitted that it was a gut-wrenching experience for the team.
“He’s a world-class player, he’s our captain, and he’s an awesome guy to be around,” Woll said. “You never want to see anybody down. Especially Auston. It’s kind of gut-wrenching. I just hope for the best for his healing and hope he comes back strong and ready to go next year.”
With Matthews out, William Nylander wore an alternate captain’s letter on Saturday. Woll shared that he has seen Nylander grow into the responsibility.
“I think that’s the natural progression for any great player in this league, you learn how to be a great individual player, and then you learn how to be a leader,” Woll said. “That’s where Willy’s at now. With Auston not around, we’re going to lean on some other guys, and he’s a big part of that.”
The Toronto Maple Leafs will now be headed to Minnesota on Sunday to face the Wild.
Edited by Anjum Rajonno