On the second night of a back-to-back, with tired legs in front of him, Anthony Stolarz had yet another brilliant performance, stopping 31 shots, with many being of the highlight-reel variety. Yet, it was not enough, as the Leafs dropped their second in as many games, losing to the Minnesota Wild 2-1 in overtime. Nylander scored the lone goal for the Maple Leafs, while Hartman and Boldy scored for the Wild. Both teams are home on Tuesday night, the Wild host the Kings, and the Leafs host the Bruins.
Anthony Stolarz Continues Stellar Season Despite Loss
Since Anthony Stolarz signed with the Maple Leafs on July 1, the goaltending conversation and speculation have been well-documented. Joseph Woll was going to be given the opportunity to be the No.1 goalie, and Anthony Stolarz would have to take what he was given. Before the season even started Woll was out with an injury, which automatically placed Antony Stolarz in the starting position, and he hasn’t looked back. In eight games, Anthony Stolarz is 4-2-2 with a .919 save percentage with 2.38 goals against. He had a great game again last night, this time in a losing effort.
“Outstanding,” Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly said of Anthony Stolarz on Sunday night. “He has been great all year. Tonight was no different. You could argue that he kept us in it for periods of time.” Stolarz made many key saves, including a beautiful glove save on Marcus Johansson when the Leafs were killing off a double minor late in the second period. In the third period, the exhaustion from a back-to-back hit the Maple Leafs, and the shot clock proved it. The Wild had 23 shot attempts and hit the net 11 times in the final frame, and there is no doubt that if there’s no Stolarz there’s no overtime.
The Leafs are back in action on Tuesday night against the Boston Bruins, a team they always lose against in the regular season, and have another back-to-back on Friday and Saturday. Even though Woll has been healthy, he hasn’t been overly sharp through three games this year. It would be wise for Anthony Stolarz to get another start tomorrow so that he gets two of the next three starts since the Leafs will more than likely rotate goaltenders in a two games in two nights situation. Coaches say they make decisions that they feel will give their team the best chance to win. Right now, Anthony Stolarz gives the Maple Leafs the best chance to win.
Power Play Finally Breaks Through
Much like the goaltending conversation, the Leafs powerplay is a well-known topic in Toronto. Heading into Sunday night, the Leafs were 3-for-38 with the man advantage, clocking in at 7.9%, which was last in the NHL. Finally, the Leafs PP broke through, with William Nylander scoring toward the end of the first period.
“That’s good for confidence, to see one go in,” Auston Matthews said of the Leafs first PP goal in six games. “The last couple of games, we’ve been moving the puck pretty well. Hopefully, that gets us rolling and we continue to make that a big factor in our game.”
Coach Berube has mixed up the PP lines quite a bit in the first few weeks of the season. On Sunday he put five forwards on the first power play for the first time, desperate for any sort of production. Matthews, Nylander, Marner, Tavares, and Knies were the forwards he chose, with Marner at the blue line. Since it worked, it would make sense to see the same strategy tomorrow night.
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