Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz suffered a lower-body injury during Thursday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks, and the extent of the injury will be revealed Friday.
Head coach Craig Berube spoke with the media and provided an update on Stolarz.
“We’ll know more tomorrow. Lower body right now,” he said. “It is concerning for sure. I didn’t see what had happened or anything in the game. Hopefully you get good news out of it.”
Berube added the call was made during the first intermission to take Stolarz out of the game and put Joseph Woll in. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported on NHL Coast to Coast that Stolarz’s injury is ‘not believed to be incredibly significant’ but the team will provide confirmation Friday.
It would be a tremendous setback for the Leafs no matter how long Stolarz will be out of the lineup. Stolarz is in the midst of a solid campaign and has formed a strong partnership with Woll. The 30-year-old won a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers last season, then joined the Leafs on a two-year contract with a $2.5 million AAV to work in tandem with the Leafs’ prodigy.
The signing has paid immediate dividends as Stolarz has been among the top-performing goalies in the NHL right now. Stolarz’s .928 save percentage heading into Thursday’s game leads the NHL, while he sits third in GAA with a 2.13 rate, trailing only Connor Hellebuyck and Filip Gustavsson. There is no denying that Stolarz has been a key reason for their success and why the Leafs are currently among the top defensive teams in the NHL.
“In the last few years, Boston with Swayman and Ullmark have been really good,” Maple Leafs forward John Tavares said after Thursday’s morning skate. “And just how much more both goalies play. I remember when (Miikka) Kiprusoff would play 60-plus games, almost 70 games, (Henrik) Lundqvist and whatnot. Now you see how important it is to have two guys, even three guys, over my time here, having a definite position. It’s great how they’re feeding off one another and what they’re providing for us. It goes a long way in our success.”
Assuming Stolarz can’t play this weekend, the Leafs will likely call up Dennis Hildeby from the Toronto Marlies.
Going into Thursday’s game, Stolarz also posted a record of 9-5-2 along with a shutout. He had stopped seven of eight Ducks shots before his night ended early. Former University of Toronto goalie Michael Nishi filled in as the EBUG while Woll took over, who stopped 19 of 20 shots in relief to record the victory.