Maple Leafs’ Anthony Stolarz skates for the first time since Game 1 injury

Stolarz was injured on May 5 in the second period of the Leafs’ first game of the second round against the Florida Panthers, when Panthers forward Sam Bennett clipped him in the head on a fly by in an attempt to get into the crease. He played for approximately two minutes before the Leafs removed him from the game for Joseph Woll. Stolarz was seen getting sick on the bench and it was reported following the game that he had been taken to hospital while the third period was underway.

Despite the scare, Stolarz was discharged from the hospital the next morning and made an appearance at the team breakfast. Head coach Craig Berube has been tight-lipped about Stolarz’s status since Game 1, which doesn’t mean one thing or another considering how much secrecy goes into conversations with the media during the playoffs. He said ahead of Game 4 that Stolarz was ‘progressing in the right direction’.

Stolarz came into the first round with a 2.21 goals-against average (GAA) and .901 save percentage (SV%) and was unquestionably one of the heroes of their first round victory over the Ottawa Senators. Joseph Woll has been shaky at times since, but has shown the stability he’s brought in the playoffs in the past. Berube said following a 35-save performance from Woll in Game 4 that the goaltender deserved credit for keeping the team in the game early on despite being hounded.

“He was great, I thought he played an excellent game,” Berube said of Woll’s performance. “All those power plays they had in the first, he was a big reason it was only 1-0.” Game 5 in Toronto is set for Wednesday night, with the series tied at 2-2. Puckdrop is at 7 pm eastern.