HIGHLIGHTS
- Anthony Stolarz left Game 1 vs Panthers in the second period with a head injury
- The Maple Leafs goaltender was vomiting on the bench before exiting
- Keep reading for the full story
The Toronto Maple Leafs may have won Game 1 against the Florida Panthers, but they lost their goaltender halfway through the game due to injury.
Anthony Stolarz exited in the second period after taking an elbow from Sam Bennett. Stolarz was seen puking on the bench before the Maple Leafs made the change in net as Joseph Woll came in to replace Toronto’s No. 1.
Here’s a look at the play:
Dirty stuff from Bennett, who blatantly elbowed his former teammate.
Chris Johnston also reported that Stolarz left Scotiabank Arena on a stretcher:
Somehow, the officials missed the call, and Bennett wasn’t even penalized. The Panthers star wasn’t made available to the media postgame.
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube was livid by the no-call:
“Elbow to the head. Clear as day,” Berube said.
When Stolarz departed, Toronto was up 4-1. He had made eight saves on nine shots, and the Leafs ultimately came out with a 5-4 victory. Woll wasn’t great when he came in, allowing three goals on only 20 shots, but it was his first appearance since April 17.
Stolarz has stolen the starting job in these playoffs and he was the main man for all six games in the opening round against the Ottawa Senators. Considering he was taken out of the arena on a stretcher, that’s not a good sign for his availability moving forward against his ex-team.
Bennett could definitely be facing punishment for his unnecessary actions. Still, the Maple Leafs will be more worried about having Stolarz in between the posts as they look to take down the defending champs in this seven-game series.
Stay tuned for more updates on Stolarz’s status moving forward.
