Anthony Stolarz pumped for Cayden Primeau ahead of first start for Maple Leafs vs. Predators

Anthony Stolarz and the Toronto Maple Leafs took a second consecutive loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Monday, falling 3-2 off a (literal) last minute goal from Mason Appleton.

Despite a much stronger effort for the Maple Leafs than their loss on Saturday, it’s tough to swallow losing off a goal with 45 seconds left. After the game, Stolarz spoke of the major lesson from the loss, but also the positives he saw.

“We got to play for 60 minutes,” the goaltender said. “The way we were able to bounce back from the other night, I thought we got pucks in, we made them work, and we drove to the net working them, so a lot of good things to take away from this game.”

The Maple Leafs won’t have to wait long to shake off this game and build off what worked for them, set to hit the ice again tomorrow night against the Nashville Predators.  With Joseph Woll out indefinitely, Cayden Primeau was claimed off waivers from the Montreal Canadiens to play back-up to Stolarz after James Reimer failed to land a contract with the team in his professional tryout agreement in the preseason. On Tuesday, we should be getting our first look at Primeau in between the pipes for Toronto on the second leg of this back-to-back. Ready to pass the starting duty tomorrow night, Stolarz spoke about what he’s seen from Primeau so far in their time training together.

“I think his presence in the net (stands out),” he said. “He’s really calm in there, just from watching him practice and what not. Excited for him, he’s a hell of a goalie and someone who’s going to help our team.”

While his year isn’t off to the best start, Stolarz can take some solace in the fact that hardly anyone could blame him for their losses so far. Nevertheless, as Primeau takes the reins for his first Toronto test tomorrow, it’s a good chance for Stolarz to take a few days off and reset going into his next start against the New York Rangers on Thursday. Barring a catastrophic performance from Primeau that requires him to play, Stolarz can use the time to refine his fine details and find his stride for his next stretch of games.