Maple Leafs’ Stolarz leaves Game 1 with injury
The Toronto Maple Leafs lost their starting goalie midway through the second period of Game 1 against the Florida Panthers.
admin
The Toronto Maple Leafs lost their starting goalie midway through the second period of Game 1 against the Florida Panthers.
Anthony Stolarz was removed from the game in favour of Joseph Woll with a little less than 10 minutes remaining in the middle frame. There was no definitive reason given for Stolarz’s departure, however, he did receive an elbow to the head from Panthers forward Sam Bennett right before he was replaced.
The broadcast speculated that the 31-year-old may have been removed by the concussion spotter, but Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that if that were the case, Woll would have been eligible to receive a warmup period, which he did not.
As the puck dropped to begin the third period, Toronto announced that Stolarz remained under evaluation and would not return. The Maple Leafs’ third goalie is Dennis Hildeby.
Stolarz has stolen the Toronto net in these playoffs, working all six games in the Maple Leafs’ Round 1 win over the Ottawa Senators. The former Panthers backstop posted a .901 save percentage and 2.22 goals-against average (GAA) in the opening-round series win.
In the regular season, Stolarz appeared in 34 games for the Maple Leafs, finishing his debut year in the blue and white with a 21-8-3 record, a .926 save percentage and 2.14 GAA.
He had made eight saves on nine shots before leaving on Monday.
Woll, meanwhile, was excellent in last year’s playoffs, allowing just two goals in three games during Toronto’s first-round loss to the Boston Bruins.
He played 42 games in 2024-25, totalling a 27-14-1 record, .909 save percentage and 2.73 GAA.
