Craig Berube states Anthony Stolarz is ‘recovering’ with no timeline for return

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube informed reporters that goaltender Anthony Stolarz is recovering from an injury suffered in Game 1 against the Florida Panthers, but did not provide a timeline for his return.

Stolarz was hit in the head by Panthers forward Sam Bennett, and left the game midway through the second period, replaced by Joseph Woll. Stolarz left the arena on a stretcher, but rejoined the team off the ice on Tuesday and did not attend Wednesday’s morning skate. Berube confirmed Woll will start Game 2, while Matt Murray will serve as Woll’s backup.

“He’s recovering. He’s doing well. He’s fine,” Berube said Wednesday morning, via Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun.

Berube did not indicate what Stolarz’s injury was.

Woll is projected to start the remainder of the series, until a further update is provided on Stolarz’s status. The 26-year-old posted a 27-14-1 record during the regular season and showed that he can operate as a true No. 1 when required, taking on a heavy volume of starts from December-February, when Stolarz was recovering from a procedure to remove a loose body in his knee.

Bennett did not receive a penalty for his hit on Stolarz, nor did he receive any supplementary discipline from the NHL Department of Player Safety. Berube said Bennett clearly delivered an elbow to Stolarz’s head following Game 1, but did not want to comment further on the matter, as the Maple Leafs are solely focused on winning this series against the defending champions.

“I heard that he went to the hospital last night and Stolie’s a good friend of mine,” Bennett said Tuesday. “Reached out to him and he responded. Never want to see an injury like that. From my point of view I’m just taking a puck to the net, I didn’t even know we made contact until after.”

Based on Wednesday’s full morning skate, it doesn’t appear that the Maple Leafs will be making any other changes to their lineup ahead of Game 2.