Joseph Woll was a brick wall for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday. His season-high 40 saves were the difference in a crucial win over the New York Rangers. The victory has major playoff implications for both teams.

His season-high effort proved decisive as Toronto held off a late push from the Rangers and strengthened its position in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

On Wednesday, the Leafs came out victorious against the Rangers 4-3 after Joseph Woll made 40 saves at Scotiabank Arena. It is the Rangers’ sixth straight loss, and they are now eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs race. 

It all started when Jake McCabe and Nicholas Robertson scored a goal each in the 1st period. The lead extended after the start of the 2nd period when Dakota Joshua scored another goal for the Leafs. 

The Rangers got on the board in the 2nd period with goals from Alexis Lafreniere and Mika Zibanejad. Zibanejad scored again in the third period, but a goal from John Tavares secured the 4-3 win for the Leafs.

Joseph Woll Praised for His Effort by Team Members

Apart from the goal scoring, the goal-saving ability of Joseph Woll helped the team secure an important win in the season. Now, the Leafs are at No. 7 in the Wild Card table with 75 points. 

The Leafs forward John Tavares praised Woll’s effort in the game. He said the goalie did a good job of deflecting and kept things away from the net.

“He just came up big and battled hard and continued to be really strong. I thought he controlled a lot of pucks where there weren’t too many second and third opportunities."

"He did a really good job swallowing things up and deflecting things away from the net”, John Tavares said.

Toronto Coach Craig Berube also talked about the team’s execution in the game. He said the goalie did well, and the whole team's effort made the difference.

“The guys worked and competed, and our goalie was really good, and we executed on some plays and scored on a very good goalie. That’s the difference in the game." Craig Berube said.

Overall, the game highlighted how elite goaltending can shape outcomes in tight NHL matchups. Woll’s 40-save performance stands as one of the most impactful individual efforts of the season.

Now, the Leafs will play the St. Louis Blues on March 28, 2026.

Read more at the NHL Fan Central!

Written by

Kapil Manghnani

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi