MIAMI — A St. Louis area native made National League Hockey history with the Toronto Maple Leafs win over the Florida Panthers Wednesday.
Joseph Woll, 24, started in net for the Maple Leafs on Wednesday with the team trailing the Panthers 3-0 in the second-round series.
Woll made 24 saves in the 2-1 win and became the eighth rookie goaltender in NHL history to earn a win when his first playoff start was in an elimination game. He joins a list featuring legendary goalies including Jose Theodore, Jeff Reese and Jacques Plante on the list.
He also became the 11th Maple Leafs rookie goaltender to earn a playoff win and the first since Felix Potvin in Game 5 of the 1993 Conference Finals.
The 24-year-old, from Dardenne Prairie, played the St. Louis AAA Blues and the U.S. National Development team prior to committing to Boston College. He was then selected by the Maple Leafs in the third round (62nd overall) in the 2016 NHL Draft.
He made his NHL debut on Nov. 13, 2021, against the Buffalo Sabres and made 23 saves in a 5–4 win. He made his playoff debut in May 2023 when the team's starting goalie Ilya Samsonov left with an injury.
Woll is expected to start Game 5 Friday night for the Maple Leafs as they return home against the Panthers. Only four teams in NHL history have come back from down 3-0 in a best-of-seven series.
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