The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Florida Panthers 5-4 to take Game 1 of their second-round series in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. But the victory didn’t come without a significant cost.
During the second period, the Panthers’ Sam Bennett purposely elbowed Leafs’ starting netminder, and former teammate, Anthony Stolarz in the head. The hit, while initially seemed innocuous, left Stolarz noticeably shaken, forcing his withdrawal from the game due to concussion protocol.
Here’s a look at the play:
The replay evidently showed Bennett intentionally smacking Stolarz with his elbow as he tried to play the puck. The league should look into this play, but that’s another story.
Anyhow, Joseph Woll came in relief and played well enough to secure the win.
Despite the win, the Maple Leafs suffered a significant loss. Stolarz was taken out of Scotiabank Arena on a stretcher as insider Chris Johnston reported.
Now, the Leafs could be blowing this entire situation out of proportion. But then again, there’s no sense in taking any chances with a person’s health, here. Stolarz’s health is of the utmost concern, and that should take precedence over anything else.
But as for the action on the ice, things don’t look too encouraging. Early reports indicate that Stolarz was hospitalized and will warrant further medical examination.
The first reactions to Stolarz’s injury are that he could be out for at least Games 2 and 3. That would be an optimistic scenario, assuming that he didn’t suffer and concussion and just needs a couple of days to recover.
If that’s the case, we could be seeing Stolarz back in the crease as early as Friday night for Game 3 in Florida. But it remains to be seen if Stolarz is fit to play by then.
With Stolarz out, Maple Leafs turn to Joseph Woll
With Anthony Stolarz likely sidelined for the remainder of the series against the Panthers, the Maple Leafs now turn to Joseph Woll. Woll, originally the Leafs' starter this season, fell back into a comfortable 1A-1B tandem with Stolarz during the regular season.
But come playoff time, Craig Berube rolled with the hot hand, Stolarz. For the most part, it worked against the Ottawa Senators. Stolarz played well and got the job done.
Now it’s Woll’s turn to run with the ball. We can give him a pass for his lackluster performance in Game 1 on Monday night, as coming off the bench like that isn’t easy. The Panthers threw everything, including the kitchen sink at the Leafs in the third period, and almost forced the game into overtime.
Woll does deserve credit for standing tall and making the saves he had to. But moving forward, Toronto will need Woll to be at his best. The team will need Woll to come in and give his team confidence heading into Game 2.
It may seem like hyperbole, but Game 2 on Wednesday night could be the Leafs’ most important game of the season. A victory puts them up 2-0 and takes the pressure of Stolarz’s absence.
A loss ties the series and suddenly raises all sorts of questions about the Leafs’ ability to win in the postseason. In the meantime, let’s hope that Stolarz is just fine, if a little woozy.