The Toronto Maple Leafs have somehow won 12 of their last 16 games, despite dealing with a raft of injuries to their forward corps, a complete lack of 5-on-5 scoring, and stretches of inconsistent, sloppy play. Chalk their success up to some outstanding goaltending.
Anthony Stolarz leads the NHL in save percentage with a .927 figure, and Joseph Woll is close behind in 4th place, stopping pucks at a .921 rate (stats per ESPN.com). Nobody expected the Toronto Maple Leafs to have the best goaltending duo in the league this year, but here we are, and it’s been a refreshing change from recent years (decades?).
The naysayers have been naysaying all season that this can’t continue, because Joseph Woll’s career to date has been littered with injuries, and Stolarz has always occupied a backup role, never appearing in more than 28 games in a season. Unfortunately for the Leafs, both of these “buts” are true, and could ultimately lead to the undoing of a potentially successful season.
Stolarz played the first period of Wednesday night’s 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks but did not return for the second, leaving Woll to finish the game. Afterwards, it was revealed that Stolarz is “only” out day-to-day with the infamous “lower-body-injury." No obvious injury occurred during the game, but Stolarz appeared uncomfortable a couple of times getting up off the ice.
How Serious Is Injury To Toronto Maple Leafs Goalie Anthony Stolarz?
The potential problem with lower body goalie injuries is that groins and knees often take a long time to fully heal (sometimes several weeks or longer). We don’t know what’s bothering Stolarz, and the Toronto Maple Leafs can only hope it’s something minor. In any case, Stolarz cannot be allowed to play again until he’s 100% healthy. The risk of re-injury and/or not being in top form for the playoffs is just too great.
That means that Joseph Woll is now the man for the foreseeable future. Normally having a guy with a .921 SV% take over is a good thing. But how many games can Woll handle as a #1 goalie without getting hurt himself?
Denis Hildeby has been recalled from the AHL Toronto Marlies, and will likely see spot action until Stolarz returns. But we saw earlier this year that despite showing a lot of promise, Hildeby is not quite ready yet for prime time.
If Stolarz’s injury keeps him out for any length of time, the Toronto Maple Leafs have only two equally unpalatable options. Either risk complete disaster by riding Woll as long as necessary, or sacrifice valuable points in the standings by playing a lesser goalie more than one would desire.
The plan all along this year was to have Woll establish himself as a reliable NHL goaltender while splitting time with Stolarz, in order to not overwork either. The quality part of the equation has worked amazingly well to date, but the quantity part is now coming into question. If either goalie ends up playing too much, the whole season could come crashing down like a house of cards.