With Stanley Cup Playoffs approaching, Maple Leafs’ goaltending competition remains wide open

The Toronto Maple Leafs have just 12 games remaining before the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and as it stands right now, their starting goaltending competition is still very much alive.

Neither Anthony Stolarz nor Joseph Woll has been able to take the leap of faith and push the other to the rearview. Both netminders have battled health issues at different points in the season, and while there have certainly been stretches of brilliance displayed by both Woll and Stolarz, neither one has a stranglehold on the starter’s crease. It’s more a case of neither goaltender folding rather than neither goalie trying to take the reins, which is one of the best problems a team can have.

The Leafs enter a four-game week, starting with hosting the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night. Both netminders will likely play two games this week and try to solidify themselves for Craig Berube’s number one role. The Maple Leafs’ bench boss has mentioned previously that he prefers to have one goalie take the bull by the horns come playoff time, so Woll and Stolarz have just under three weeks to win the coach’s confidence.

As for potential Stanley Cup Playoff matchups go, the Leafs appear destined to play the Tampa Bay Lightning or one of the Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, or Columbus Blue Jackets. Starting off with the Lightning, let’s see how the numbers stack up for both Maple Leafs’ goaltenders:

Woll has the Lightning’s number, and considering the Leafs are just as confident with either in the crease, it will be interesting to see how much stock Berube puts into the goalies’ career numbers versus a certain team or just who is playing better down the stretch.

Of late, Stolarz hasn’t seemed to be himself or the same elite netminder we saw earlier in the season when he was near the top of most statistical categories. He has one win in his last six games, including just one game with a save percentage starting with a ‘9.’ Stolarz is currently searching for his game and could use a couple of strong starts this week to propel himself back on top of the Leafs’ competition for their starter’s crease.

As for Woll’s recent play, he’s won four of his last five starts and five of his last seven. Yes, he’s coming off a smelly loss to the Nashville Predators last Saturday, but that loss can’t be thrown solely on his shoulders. The team let off the gas pedal once they secured a two-goal lead, and the Preds made them pay. Woll leads to two tenders in games played this season, and despite being five years younger than his counterpart, he has more Stanley Cup Playoff experience under his belt. Stolarz may have his Cup ring from last season, but if Berube were to solely go with the more battle-tested goalie for his playoff run, Woll should get the call.

If the Maple Leafs win the Atlantic Division, it could set up a first-round ‘Battle of Ontario’ with the Senators. A team that’s owned the Leafs this season. Here’s how Woll and Stolarz stack up against the Sens:

Not necessarily anything to write home about, and considering the sample size, it’s hard to think that Berube and his staff will put too much stock in these career numbers. Instead, expect to see the Maple Leafs’ bench boss give both goalies a slew of action over the last 12 games, and don’t be surprised if the two split the starts right down the middle. While Berube prefers one, there’s certainly a chance both goalies play at some point during the postseason.

What will be interesting to watch over the course of the last few weeks of the regular season is how Berube matches up against playing the Panthers twice and the Lightning once. Will he put in his likely playoff starter against the Lightning to potentially gain some more confidence, or will he go in the opposite direction and try to limit the exposure with the playoffs around the corner?

At the end of the day, they say if you have two goalies, it means you don’t have a solidified number one. The 1-A/1-B approach has rarely had any Stanley Cup Playoff success. Year after year, the Leafs have been ‘goalied’ by the opposing team’s starter, and it’s about time Toronto’s goaltender stole them a playoff series or two.

It feels like if the Stanley Cup Playoffs started this week, Woll would be the man. But, with 12 games remaining, Stolarz still has a chance to win over Berube, push Woll out of the starter’s crease, and into a baseball cap on the bench.