The Toronto Maple Leafs' goaltending situation is heating up just as the postseason approaches, and Anthony Stolarz is at the center of the discussion.
The 31-year-old delivered his 17th win of the season on Wednesday in a 3–2 victory over the Florida Panthers.
With the win, Stolarz improved to 17-8-3 with a .920 save percentage and kept going a career-best campaign that has teammates and coaches taking notice.
“He’s been phenomenal all year,” John Tavares said. “Once he puts his pads on… the way he’s barking and talking out there… it’s pretty incredible.”
“He’s one of the most vocal goalies I’ve ever played with," Mitch Marner said. "He lets you know where guys are on the ice, whether it’s the penalty kill or even strength, or even up ice.
“That’s what you want. You want to know where guys are.”
Matthew Knies described him as “ruthless back there,” a sentiment coach Craig Berube echoed.
“I’ve heard him a few times, not too happy about things, which is fine," Berube said. "He’s fiery, which is good. You like that fire.”
Despite Stolarz’s form, the Leafs haven’t named a starter for Game 1, and Berube admitted on Tuesday that he may consider a goalie tandem for the playoffs—a move that would be a first in his postseason coaching career.
“I’ve had to put goalies in situations, but [a rotation is] something I’ve never done," Berube said. "It’s always a question we’ll discuss and go over at some point here. Maybe we already have. We’ll see.”
Toronto has leaned on both Stolarz and 26-year-old Joseph Woll this season. Woll started his latest game on Sunday against the Anaheim Ducks, stopped 28 of 30 shots, and has a 25-13-1 record this season with a 2.78 GAA and a solid .906 save percentage.
While the Leafs won’t commit yet to Stolard or Woll, a tandem setup in the playoffs, still rare in the NHL, doesn't feel off the table.
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