The Toronto Maple Leafs’ goaltending situation took an unexpected turn in Game 1 of their second-round series against the Florida Panthers, as Anthony Stolarz was forced to leave the game midway through the second period after appearing to take an elbow to the head from Panthers forward Sam Bennett.
The incident occurred during a Florida power play, when Bennett looked to make contact with Stolarz’s head with his elbow. The 31-year-old stayed in the game briefly, even conversing with backup goaltender Joseph Woll on the bench during a commercial break.
However, cameras on the Sportsnet broadcast later showed Stolarz bent over the bench with his head in a bucket, seemingly vomiting, a potential sign of concussion-related symptoms.
Despite attempting to play through, Stolarz was pulled shortly after. Woll entered the game without the benefit of a warmup — a detail pointed out by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, who noted that had Stolarz been removed by a league-mandated concussion spotter, Woll would have been eligible for a brief warmup. The lack of one suggests the decision to remove Stolarz was made internally by the team.
At the time of the goaltending change, the Leafs held a 4-1 lead. Stolarz had made eight saves on nine shots for a .889 save percentage in the game before exiting. Earlier in the first period, he had also taken a puck off the mask, in which his helmet came off – a separate play that may have added to the discomfort.
The Leafs announced on X ahead of the third-period puck drop that Stolarz was still being evaluated and would not return to the game.
With Stolarz out and Woll in, Dennis Hildeby dressed as the team’s backup for the third period.
Stolarz had been a steady presence in Toronto’s crease throughout the opening round against Ottawa, appearing in all six games with a 4-1-1 record, a 2.21 goals-against average, and a .901 save percentage.
