"Everyone just died inside" - Maple Leafs fans dejected as Joseph Woll's injury rules him out for Game 7 vs. Bruins

The Toronto Maple Leafs are taking on the Boston Bruins at TD Garden for Game 7 of Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll will sit out due to an ‘undisclosed’ injury.

Fans were clearly dejected by the news. Many expressed their disappointment in having their beloved netminder miss the decisive game. They were quick to mention Woll's performance in the lineup so far, particularly in their back-to-back series turnaround wins in Game 5 and Game 6 against the Bruins.

Following are some of the fan reactions on X/Twitter:

“Everyone just died inside”

“IT'S OVER 😭”, wrote one fan with a crying emoji.

“Unbelievable, what the actual f**k did we do to the hockey gods,” commented another fan.

Fans were left reeling from the sudden curveball as news broke. Many were unhappy with the short notice upon which Joseph Woll's unexpected absence from the game was announced.

“In the last 0.1 seconds… are you kidding,” commented one user.

“I blame the team for giving up in the last minute,” quipped another.

Some fans even expressed their disconcert with Joseph Woll’s fitness and questioned his ability to remain injury-free.

“Not sure this guy’s the goalie of the future. Can’t string 3 games together without being injured,” wrote one user.

Woll has been exceptional in the last two games for the Maple Leafs. He has a record of 2-0-0 with a goal against average of 0.98 and a save percentage of .961 in his last 2 games in the 2024 Eastern Conference First-Round playoff series. It is no wonder many had high hopes riding on the goalie, including NHL legend Paul Bissonnette.

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Ilya Samsonov replaces Joseph Woll in Game 7

Ilya Samsonov led the team out for warm-up ahead of Game 7, right after news broke that Joseph Woll would miss out on the series-deciding game.

Even though Woll practiced with the team in the morning, it was later disclosed that Samsonov would indeed be starting between the pipes for the occasion. The exact cause of Joseph Woll’s injury is yet to be announced, though it is assumed to have been caused either at the end of Game 6 or in practice.

Although Ilya Samsonov's stats weren't as good as Woll’s with a .883 save percentage in four games, he did help the Leafs win Game 2 with a solid performance, making 27 saves.

It remains to be seen if Samsonov can come up big for his team in the must-win game.