The Toronto Maple Leafs recalled a pair of players ahead of their road game against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, adding forward Bobby McMann and goalie Joseph Woll to the roster on Saturday morning.
Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said the decision to call up Woll was due to lingering injury issues Ilya Samsonov is dealing with and because the Russian goalie’s wife is expecting soon.
Woll will back up Matt Murray, who will start in goal for Toronto against his former team. You can watch the game on Hockey Night in Canada on Sportsnet at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT.
Samsonov had started the last two for Toronto — a shootout loss to Colorado and a win against Carolina.
The other roster changes for Toronto will see defenceman Justin Holl start, while Mark Giordano and Erik Gufstafsson sit. Giordano is the only Leafs rearguard to play in every game this season. Holl sat out Friday night. The other add will be veteran forward Wayne Simmonds, who has not played since Feb. 1.
McMann, 26, is a likely replacement for forward Noel Acciari, who had to leave Friday night’s win over Carolina at 19:45 of the first period after colliding with the Hurricanes’ Jesse Puljujarvi. He has yet to register a point in eight games this season with the Maple Leafs, but has 21 goals and 29 points in 30 games with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.
Woll has started three games for the Maple Leafs this season, posting a 2-1 record, with a 2.04 goals-against average and .938 save percentage. The 24-year-old has had a strong season in the AHL, going 16-2 with a 2.37 GAA and .928 SV%.
