Maple Leafs netminder erases any doubt he’s the guy

Toronto Maple Leafs starting netminder Anthony Stolarz had somewhat of a lukewarm start to the season. His first three outings were relatively unimpressive, especially when considering the back-to-back losses to the Detroit Red Wings. Stolarz allowed seven goals across the two matchups.

But that doubt should finally be put to rest following Thursday night’s brilliant performance against the New York Rangers. Stolarz essentially stole the game for the Maple Leafs. The Rangers threw everything at Stolarz but the kitchen sink, and still couldn’t score.

The Blue Shirt finally got through in the third period of a redirection from Juuso Parssinen. But that was about it. Stolarz shut the door and did not look back. He bought his team enough time for the game-winner in overtime.

The efforts earned “Stolie” the belt for the night:

But the belt wasn’t there just for looks. Here’s a look at why he earned it:

In this first sequence, Stolarz made multiple saves. While the play was dead following his mask coming off, they still made a brilliant pad save on a point shot. Had the puck gone in, there would have been significant controversy on the play. But Stolarz shut the door, and no issues ensued.

Now, here’s a look at Stolarz’s best save of the night:

The larcenous save on New York’s Sam Carrick bailed out the Maple Leafs’ players as the Rangers exploited a quick 2-on-1 play. The group had gotten caught in the offensive zone. Despite their best efforts to get back into the play, they couldn’t catch up.

Stolarz was brilliant and kept the game 1-0 in favor of Toronto. His performance preserved a grinding win, one that the Maple Leafs and their fans will take any day of the week.

Stolarz’s workload could become an issue soon

The biggest concern for the Maple Leafs regarding Stolarz has to be his workload. Stolarz has never started more than 35 games or so in a season. As a career backup, he never really had he opportunity to take on a significant amount of games.

That situation may become an issue at some point in December or January. Assuming Stolarz doesn’t make the US Olympic team, he would get a much-needed break in February. But then again, the Leafs will need Stolarz the most during their stretch drive and into the postseason.

As it stands, Joseph Woll’s absence is a bit of a monkey wrench in the works. So, it will be up to the coaching staff to figure out how to better manage Stolarz’s workload. By the way things look, Stolarz is headed to around 50 starts. That may not be too bad, but it still requires his backups to get around 30 to 35 starts this season.

So, fans could be seeing much more of Cayden Primeau and Dennis Hildeby at certain points in the season. Given the condensed nature of this year’s schedule, the club may have no other choice but to get creative to ensure Stolarz remains healthy and productive in what could be a fateful season for the Toronto Maple Leafs.