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The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to have to make do without goaltender Anthony Stolarz, who departed Thursday night's game against the visiting Anaheim Ducks with a lower-body injury.
He was ruled out for the remainder of the game, and Joseph Woll took over between the pipes. Before his departure, he had stopped seven of eight shots that he faced from the Ducks.
If the Leafs are without Stolarz for an extended period of time, it would be a significant setback. He currently leads the NHL with a .928 save percentage.
The Leafs will likely have to call up reinforcements from the American Hockey League affiliate Toronto Marlies and could choose between either Dennis Hildeby or Artur Akhtyamov; Matt Murray is on the shelf (again) and is unavailable.
Anthony Stolarz is in his first season with the Maple Leafs
Entering free agency during the summer after winning the Stanley Cup as the backup to Sergei Bobrovsky with the Florida Panthers during the spring, Stolarz chose to sign with the Maple Leafs; he was given a two-year, $5 million contract.
Stolarz cited the potential of getting more playing time as a major factor in his decision, via The Hockey News.
“It was probably the No. 1 thing for me. You obviously play this game to play games and get out there,” he said. “And obviously with this team, the talent obviously speaks for itself. So for me, it was a pretty easy decision,” the 30-year-old said following But for me, it's just going out there, trying my hardest and just, like I said, put my best efforts forward every night.”
Originally selected by the Philadelphia Flyers with the 45th pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, Stolarz has also played for the Anaheim Ducks in addition to the Panthers and Flyers. He's also represented the United States on the international stage.
