The Toronto Maple Leafs received bad news on the injury front when Anthony Stolarz had to exit the arena on a stretcher after a Game 1 hit from Sam Bennett. Stolarz exited the game after feeling discomfort during a television timeout, and Joseph Woll replaced him. He was sent to the hospital for further evaluation, but has now been released and is attempting to move on from the incident. Pierre Lebrun reported that the Leafs are also shifting their focus to the task at hand.

“Further to this, Stolarz is out of hospital, I'm told,” Lebrun said on social media. “My sense is the Leafs as an organization don't want to waste energy on this in the coming days, want to focus on task at hand up 1-0 in the series.”

The Maple Leafs have no choice but to move on from the hit, as Bennett will not receive any discipline from the NHL. Many expected Bennett to get some discipline, as he has been in controversy over hits to the head before. He injured Brad Marchand in a series against the Boston Bruins in last year's postseason, and also took out Matthew Knies when these teams played in 2023.

Anthony Stolarz's replacement will be Joseph Woll

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll (60) is pulled for Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz (41) after surrendering three goals to the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period at T-Mobile Arena
© Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
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The Maple Leafs could be in a much worse situation than replacing Stolarz with Woll. He was the predicted starter for Toronto entering the season, but Stolarz stole the role with his play. It was still a good season for Woll, with a 2.73 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage. He is also an experienced goaltender, as he played eight playoff games for the Maple Leafs before entering Game 1.

Last season was Woll's breakout, as he entered the series against the Boston Bruins in Game 4 after Ilya Samsonov struggled. They lost the game that Samsonov started, but Woll started Games 5 and 6 and won both to extend the series to seven. Woll had a 0.86 goals-against average and a .964 save percentage over the two-and-a-half games.

Woll injured himself in the dying seconds of Game 6, which kept him out of Game 7. The Leafs lost that game, but Woll's performance turned some heads and gave hope for the future. One concern is his injury concerns, and it could be trouble if he goes down in this series with Stolarz out.

Nevertheless, Woll could easily lead Toronto through this series as Stolarz heals.