Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz hadn’t appeared in game action in over two months. Facing off against the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday, in what was the biggest game of the Leafs’ season, it showed in the worst way.
Stolarz missed 33 games due to a nerve issue, and was thrown into the hostility of Mitch Marner’s triumphant return to Toronto, without playing a game on a conditioning stint. Stolarz looked rusty from the opening puck drop, his rebound control was lacklustre, and you could tell throughout the game he was fighting to get the feel for the puck.
The 32-year-old spoke to reporters postgame after the Leafs’ 6-3 loss to the Golden Knights, and opened up about how he felt in his return. “It was definitely exciting just to be back on the ice with the guys again” Stolarz said.
“Just having the opportunity to battle, and compete with them. Obviously, it sucks watching from up top, it was something that was out of my control. At the end of the day, it was just nice to be back.”
Stolarz stopped 25 of 30 shots he faced against the Golden Knights, and the main takeaway for him was the fact he felt good before, during, and after the game. It just was the pace of play that really took Stolarz by surprise.
“Probably just the tempo and the speed. You can do your best to replicate those in practice, but once you get out there in a game, at the NHL level, the tempo of the play is a lot quicker. Tonight, especially early on, at times I was a little behind. As the game wore on, I thought I got a little more comfortable.”
Joseph Woll had been doing an excellent job carrying the load for the Maple Leafs. Craig Berube’s decision to start Stolarz in the biggest game of the season, after such a long layoff was extremely surprising for many. Stolarz confirmed he had this game in mind as he recovered.
“We kind of had a plan, around this time. A few days ago, I started to feel really good, obviously had an opportunity to go down to the Marlies, and get in those full practices. A little longer than our practices. Just being able to go down there and work, get some reps, I felt really good after that, and thought it was time to get activated.”
The Maple Leafs welcome the Colorado Avalanche to town on a rare Sunday affair, and don’t have another back-to-back until the following week. It will be interesting to see how Berube handles his goaltenders, and when Stolarz gets another crack at the starter’s net.