While the Toronto Maple Leafs fell 1-0 to the Montreal Canadiens in the season opener, captain Auston Matthews had high praise for his goaltender Anthony Stolarz.
Signed as a backup for the Maple Leafs, Anthony Stolarz was meant to balance out the games played by Woll and give Toronto a veteran netminder at crucial points in the season.
Well, with Joseph Woll being sidelined for Wednesday's season opener against Montreal, it was up to Stolarz to help the Maple Leafs as they kicked off the 2024-2025 season. He didn't come away with the win, but Stolarz was poised and calm all night, surviving a rapid fire assault of shots from the Montreal forwards, controlling rebounds, and keeping the Maple Leafs in the game at all times.
Toronto gave it their best effort, firing off 48 shots on Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault and hitting the post four times but could never find the back of the net. Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews took notice of how good Stolarz was, and had high praise for the team's free-agent signing:
"I thought he was our best player tonight," Auston Matthews said of Stolarz post-game via The Athletic's Joshua Kloke."He definitely takes up a lot of the net," Matthews said of Stolarz. "It's pretty noticeable coming down and shooting on him. He's pretty good at reading the play, I find. When you think you have the opening he's kind of baiting you to shoot it there. He's a really smart goalie."
Stolarz was just as solid on Wednesday as he was in the preseason, and looked comfortable at every point. Cole Caufield's goal was a beautiful one, and there was nothing Stolarz could have done about it. If the Maple Leafs are concerned about Joseph Woll's health and future status, Stolarz is a perfect replacement in the interim, given his wealth of experience and the intimidation factor he brings. Stolarz also has a 6'7 backup in Dennis Hildeby, and although he's not played an NHL game yet, looks poised to breakout and make an impact this season.
When Joseph Woll returns from injury and makes his way back into the crease, he may have a little bit harder time if Stolarz keeps up his performance and it leads to a momentum shift for the Maple Leafs. Let's just hope he doesn't need to stand on his head again and the team can find that offensive spark they're so well known for.
