Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz was taken to hospital for further evaluation after leaving Monday’s game with an injury, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Luke Fox report.
Stolarz was twice hit in the head during Game 1 against the Florida Panthers before leaving the ice and being replaced by Joseph Woll midway through the second period.
Head coach Craig Berube did not have an update on Stolarz’s condition after the game, only saying the goaltender was still being evaluated.
The first instance came in the first period when a puck struck Stolarz in the mask and knocked it off his head. The second came in the middle frame when Panthers forward Sam Bennett appeared to elbow Stolarz in the head as the goaltender was reaching to cover the puck. Bennett was not penalized on the play.
Stolarz remained in the game for a few minutes after the collision with Bennett, but during one of the commercial breaks, he vomited into a bucket on the Maple Leafs’ bench. After that he left the ice, was replaced by Woll and did not return.
“Elbow to the head, clearly. Clear as day,” Berube said of the collision between Stolarz and Bennett. “I get it, they miss calls but it’s clearly a penalty.”
Panthers head coach Paul Maurice, who coached Stolarz with the Panthers last season, wished his former goaltender a speedy recovery but didn’t believe Bennett deserved a penalty.
“He’s standing right there, he saw it. Coaches coach,” Maurice said of the non-call. “Hopeful for Anthony and his health. We love that guy and we hope he gets better real fast.”
Bennett was not made available to the media after the game.
Stolarz has stolen the Toronto net in these playoffs, working all six games in the Maple Leafs’ Round 1 win over the Ottawa Senators. He 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.
“We didn’t know what happened,” Morgan Rielly said after the game. “But we have all the faith in the world in Joe.”
The Maple Leafs won the game 5-3. Woll allowed three goals on 20 shots to preserve the victory.
