Maple Leafs lose Joseph Woll to lower-body injury mid-game

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll was ruled out of tonight's game against the Carolina Hurricanes with what the team is calling a lower-body injury.

It's unknown the specific details of the situation but Woll was seen late in the second working on his groin after a save, ultimately not returning for the third period, it's unclear if the two are related.

Woll, who was playing in his eight game for Toronto since returning from an absence of leave for personal reasons.

Since returning, Woll has been key for the Leafs in net as the main starter with Stolarz out, with a 2.38 GAA and a .924SV% this season for Toronto.

The Leafs in net are already without goaltender Anthony Stolarz, who is also without injury and hasn't played since November 11th. Rookie goaltender Dennis Hildeby has replaced Woll in net.

An update from head coach Craig Berube should be had after tonight's game. It's unclear what caused Woll to leave besides the injury ruling made by the team.

It's not clear yet if Woll is dealing with a serious issue or if the matter was precautionary, something Toronto might not make clear until the Leafs next game Saturday vs Montreal, as the team has not disclosed any injury status for players right away.

If Woll's injury was indeed related to his groin, it could be anything from a slight muscular pain to something like a strain or a tear that would require missed time.

The Toronto Maple Leafs will be cautious and hope for Woll to not have been dealt any serious injury prognosis.

If there's any time having to be missed for Woll, if it's a short-term issue, Dennis Hildeby could be the stopgap for the time being, having been reliable for Toronto since being recalled from the AHL with a 3.07 GAA and a .914% SV.

If the injury is something more long-term, and Stolarz isn't close to returning, it could be a major problem for Toronto who would be forced to either rely on the inexperienced Hildeby or find another netminder.

There's no strong free agent goaltenders remaining, which could leave Toronto potentially having to scout the trade market for options, which would be a difficult move for the Leafs who have holes to solve already at forward and defense.

For now, Toronto will be forced to take a sudden blow with their goaltending situation with immense caution without their two starting netminders.