TORONTO — Anthony Stolarz was in apparent discomfort.
Hunched over within the Toronto Maple Leafs crease, the veteran goalie was feeling the searing ache of a shot from Boston Bruins sniper David Pastrnak that had drilled him within the neck within the first interval at Scotiabank Enviornment Tuesday.
After needing greater than a minute to shake off the results of the blast, Stolarz managed to assemble his wits and proclaimed himself able to proceed.
Was he ever.
For the rest of the evening, it was the 30-year-old Maple Leafs goalie who was the sore spot for Boston en path to recording his first shutout with Toronto and the ninth of his NHL profession in a 4-0 victory towards the rival Bruins.
“It’s good,” Stolarz stated. “I mean, most importantly, we got the two points and beat a big division team. So, you know, I guess I thought it was probably one of our better 60-minute efforts of the year, and hopefully we can keep it rolling.”
Stolarz definitely has carried out precisely that from the second he signed a two-year, $5 million contract with the Maple Leafs (common annual worth $2.5 million) on July 2. As soon as he stepped onto the ice, he’s been comfy and in management from the get-go, a run that has nudged him forward of the often-injured Joseph Woll within the battle for Toronto’s beginning job.
In 9 video games with Toronto, the Edison, New Jersey native has gone 5-2-2 with a 2.12 goals-against common and .928 save share. His penchant of going submit to submit to make massive stops had the capability crowd in Toronto on its ft chanting his title, one thing that was not misplaced on he or his teammates.
“You know, it’s always going to get you kind of going,” he stated of the followers’ help. “They appreciate the sport and they’re the ones who kind of drive us and give us energy. So anytime that they can get loud and make some noise for us, we really appreciate it.”
Identical to his fellow Maple Leafs recognize his efforts.
“Massive saves. Couple of massive saves coming across the crease,” Toronto ahead Mitch Marner stated. “’Stolly’ has been doing that each one yr for us within the internet. Huge kudos to him. It may have been a special sport or completely different rating with out him. Huge.
“Great to see the fans give him the love for him he deserves too.”
Stolarz recorded profession bests for begins (24), wins (16) and GAA (2.03) in 2023-24 in a backup function to Sergei Bobrovsky to assist the Florida Panthers win the Stanley Cup. Now he’s making an attempt to do the identical in Toronto, albeit in a doubtlessly far larger function with the Maple Leafs.
Within the course of, whereas he could be exceeding the preseason expectations of many Toronto supporters, coach Craig Berube doesn’t see it that approach.
“I don’t think so,” Berube stated. “I feel that, going again to final yr, with the season he had, when you have a look at the numbers, he performed extraordinarily nicely.
“He’s been around a while and has really learned how to do the work and understands what he needs to do to be successful. He showed that last year too.”
Now, he’s doing it once more, maybe at a better stage than ever earlier than. And if he can stick with it, he may turn into one of many higher bargains within the League, if not one of many extra influential distinction makers.
