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Our Takeaways from the triumph on Tobacco Road
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Published Dec 05, 2025 • 3 minute read
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Carolina Hurricanes’ William Carrier (28) is tied up by Toronto Maple Leafs’ Oliver Ekman-Larsson and looses the puck on the way to Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll (60) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)Article content
It’s hardly the first time an injured goaltender cast a pall over a run of Maple Leafs’ success.
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Their best road trip of five games or more since 2007, capped by a third-straight win Thursday, 5-1 in Carolina, was clouded by a lower-body injury to Joseph Woll.
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If it’s significant and not precautionary, since the Leafs were up three when he didn’t come out for the third period, it leaves them without two experienced stoppers, Woll and Anthony Stolarz, who has not been on skates for weeks as he battles his own upper body ailment.
It tops our Takeaways from the triumph on Tobacco Road:
SAY IT AIN’T SO, JOE
Lower-body issues have sidelined Woll before and it appeared his left hip or leg was in discomfort in the final minutes of the second period.
He did finish the frame and while coach Craig Berube was his usual tight-lipped self when players go down — “we’ll see tomorrow, hopefully it’s not (long term),” he told reporters in Raleigh — the response of teammates coming out of the room seemed to indicate it was not dire.
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“Hopefully it’s nothing serious on Joe,” captain Auston Matthews said. “He’s someone who looks after himself very well. But we have all the confidence in all the goalies.”
Dennis Hildeby finished up and fortunately for the Leafs, the towering Swede has played well himself, quite used to relief appearances. After Woll stopped 22 of 23 shots, having come into Thursday with a .947 save percentage the past three games, the ‘Hildebeast’ made nine stops in a determined Canes’ push to open the third.
After Hildeby, it would be Artur Akhtyamov, a 24-year-old second year Marlie, but it will likely be Saturday morning before the secretive Leafs give an update on Woll.
”It sucks because he’s kind of been the backbone of our team on this road trip,” Matthew Knies said of Woll. “But Hildeby’s been placed in some hard situations this year.”
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Goalies tend to grow up fast in this town.
TWO KNIES PLAYS LEAD TO GOALS
The Toronto bench was in awe when Knies pulled away from a pair of Canes trying to drag him down and still had positioning to draw on his backhand and beat Frederik Andersen in the second period.
Get used to seeing that highlight a few times on TV and at Scotiabank Arena. Knies put on the full power forward show, skating hard after he saw Shane Gostisbehere lost his stick, then dipping his shoulder to ward off Sebastian Aho.
“Trying to create some space,” Knies said modestly.
But he wasn’t done, breaking up a dangerous pass during Carolina pressure with an active stick, sending away Matthews and Max Domi while surreptitiously blocking a defender from disrupting their well-executed 2-on-1.
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“It doesn’t matter how many guys are draped all over him,” Matthews praised. “He’s such a big body, he’s so strong, he just shrugs it off.”
With the third line getting on the board again, it’s vital the first unit does not sit back as Knies came up with his second multi-point game on the trip. Everyone knows he and Matthews can score, so it’s up to Domi to prove he fits there on this latest assignment to replace some of Mitch Marner’s offence. Domi is finally clicking.
He has five points in three games since sitting out one and while he likes to defer when he has a chance to shoot, there’s no one better to feed than Matthews, now up to 11 goals.
SPACE RACE
Since everyone wanted to make a big deal of the standings when the Leafs fell briefly into last place, how about them coming home for a stretch just five points out of first in the Atlantic Division?
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Yes, they still have a number of teams to climb over, but now the leading Tampa Bay Lightning has been slowed by a two-game losing streak and Toronto is suddenly the division’s hottest club. Toronto plays the Bolts on Monday.
The road record of 4-2 was Toronto’s best win total of a trip of five games or more since Paul Maurice was their coach and will do wonders for confidence.
“All four lines are getting it done, it doesn’t matter who is scoring, everyone is chipping in with the little things,” Matthews said. “We have to keep that momentum on home ice.”
Before the game, Berube was glad of the timing of the trip, given the increased noise level at home.
“The group (bonds) well, the better the games are as a result,” the coach said.
Had they not let down late in the Washington game, the haul of points would’ve been even better.
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