Anthony Stolarz believes Leafs learned lesson vs. Red Wings: ‘We have to come to play every night’

After a strong start on Saturday night for the Toronto Maple Leafs, things took a turn for the worse. In the end, the Leafs fell 6-3 to the Detroit Red Wings, taking their first loss of the season.

Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz made 33 saves, allowing four goals against. Speaking after the game, the 31-year-old shared what the team will be taking from the defeat.

“At the end of the day, it’s a lesson for us,” Stolarz said. “We have to come to play every night. Doesn’t matter who you’re playing, teams in this league are good. Anyone can beat anyone on any given night.”

With a new look to the team this season, there’s some understanding that there will be missteps to start the year. After taking a 2-0 lead through the first 20, this probably should have been a winnable game for Toronto. Stolarz expanded on what he saw go wrong for the team starting in the middle frame.

“We stopped getting pucks in deep, stopped hunting them on the forecheck,” he said. “We kind of just sat back and let them walk all over us. You look at that first period, we were all over them. Two goals, low to high. Then they’re a team that after their first game and that period, I imagine they got reamed out. So we knew that they were gonna be coming.”

Despite that, the Leafs weren’t ready for Detroit’s response, as the Red Wings tallied three unanswered with a strong offensive presence, especially net-front. A veteran in between the pipes, Stolarz shared that he’s well-versed in dealing with that crowd in his crease.

“For me, it’s something I kind of get used to,” Stolarz said. “I mean, I’m 6-6″, so teams are gonna wanna crash me and run me because they know I can see the puck and see over them. So it’s just about battling. I think that’s one of my best traits, going out there and competing when the puck’s in the blue paint there.”

If anything, the Leafs goalie said he uses that energy of the game to push himself even harder.

“I’m a pretty fiery guy, so I don’t mind when it gets a little physical,” Stolarz said. “Kind of creates a little jam for myself. So I just try to harness that as best as I can to just go out there and compete and battle.”

Walking away from their first away contest with a disappointing result, the Leafs will get another chance to take down the Red Wings in just two days time when they meet again back in Toronto. Stolarz said they’ll use this loss to fuel them to bring their all on Monday.

“I think this is gonna leave a bad taste in everyone’s mouth,” he said. “Going back home for a 2 o’clock game on Thanksgiving, I think the fans will be riled up. We’re gonna have to match that intensity and put forth a good effort.”

That game was originally scheduled for 4 PM, but was moved earlier so as not to interfere with the Toronto Blue Jays game.