Maple Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz is not willing to be pushed around.
The Toronto Maple Leafs hit the road for Game 3 against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. The Maple Leafs hold a 2-0 series lead over the Senators in this postseason edition of the Battle of Ontario. These games have been rather intense, to say the least. Especially when it comes to goalie Anthony Stolarz.
Game 2 saw the Maple Leafs goalie stake claim to his territory in the crease. Cameras caught him shoving Senators forward Ridly Greig multiple times. These weren't love taps by any means. Stolarz put a ton of force into the shoves and slashes.
Stolarz is certainly not the only person who has thrown his weight around in this series. But this encapsulates the heated intensity of these battles on the ice. And the Maple Leafs goalie certainly isn't shy about getting rough on the ice, as he mentioned after Game 2.
“It's an intense battle, you know,” Stolarz said, via Sportsnet's Luke Fox. “This is what you live for. This is playoff hockey.”
Stolarz knows what it takes to win in the NHL. He saw it last season with the Florida Panthers. The Maple Leafs goalie served as the backup to Sergei Bobrovsky with the Panthers in 2023-24. He went on to win the Stanley Cup with the franchise nearly a year ago.
The Maple Leafs netminder knows his worth. He understands he is one of the best goalies in the world. He certainly proved as much in 2024-25. In fact, the only goalie with a better WAR than Stolarz this past season was Winnipeg Jets star Connor Hellebuyck.
Serving as a backup for so long may have provided some frustration for Stolarz. However, he doesn't believe so. Stolarz is simply trying to live in the moment as the Maple Leafs chase an elusive Stanley Cup.
“Obviously, you want your opportunity. But at the end of the day, I’m playing in the NHL,” Stolarz said, via Fox. “I like to have fun out there. Like to enjoy the moment.”
