Maple Leafs’ Stolarz Hit in Throat, Leaves Game vs. Senators | NHL News

Ottawa Senators forward William Nylander inadvertently struck Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz in the throat with a shot during warmups at Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday, forcing Stolarz to leave the game and undergo precautionary medical evaluation.

Stolarz was transported to a local hospital for imaging, but was released prior to the conclusion of the Senators’ 5-2 victory, according to Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube. Berube stated after the game that Stolarz was scheduled to travel with the team back to Toronto, but offered no immediate update on the severity of the injury.

“Obviously it’s, you know, really tough to notice that happen,” Nylander said following the game. “I mean, I always reach in and shoot pucks in the glove, and this one just came off a little bit to the left, and I hit him in the neck. So, I mean, I was obviously worried for him, but, I mean, I’ve been texting with him, so he seems to be OK.”

Joseph Woll started in net for the Maple Leafs, making 38 saves in the loss. It marked Woll’s second consecutive start after a 4-3 overtime defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday, where he recorded 32 saves.

Toronto forward John Tavares acknowledged the difficult circumstances. “Obviously, it’s not ideal circumstances, but as a team, you’ve got to rally around them and we’ve got to play for 60 minutes,” Tavares said. “I saw (Stolarz) before he headed out and seemed to be doing OK. I think everything is pretty precautionary, but yeah, tough when circumstances like that happen.”

Stolarz, 32, has appeared in 22 games this season, posting an 8-9-3 record with a 3.34 goals-against average and a .894 save percentage. He previously missed 33 games earlier in the season due to an upper-body injury.

The goaltender is in his second season with the Maple Leafs, having signed a four-year, $15 million contract extension in September 2023, with an average annual value of $3.75 million, extending through the 2029-30 season. Prior to joining Toronto, Stolarz was a member of the Florida Panthers, where he served as Sergei Bobrovsky’s backup during their 2024 Stanley Cup championship run.

Originally a second-round pick (45th overall) by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2012 NHL Draft, Stolarz has a career record of 72-48-15 with a 2.65 goals-against average, a .914 save percentage, and 23 shutouts across 164 regular-season games (137 starts) with the Flyers, Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks, Panthers, and Maple Leafs. He also has a 4-2 record with a 2.43 goals-against average and a .894 save percentage in eight Stanley Cup Playoff games (seven starts).

The Maple Leafs (29-29-13) currently trail the New York Islanders by 14 points for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race.