Sergei Bobrovsky starts for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET at Scotiabank Arena, getting another chance despite a rocky start to his Toronto tenure. The move comes three days after he allowed five goals on 17 shots in a 5-4 loss to the Seattle Kraken, a game decided by Brandon Montour’s go-ahead goal with 34 seconds left.
Bobrovsky is 3-5-2 with a 3.29 goals-against average and an .885 save percentage through 10 games this season. He has allowed at least three goals in nine of those 10 starts.
The Main Development
Maple Leafs coach Jim Hiller confirmed Bobrovsky will get the net against Utah, a decision that drew more attention than he expected. “I’ve talked about it more today with you guys (the media) than we have talked about it in two weeks with our coaches and management,” Hiller said, according to NHL.com.
Anthony Stolarz had been considered for a second straight start after Bobrovsky’s loss to Seattle, but Toronto opted to stick with its veteran. Auston Matthews backed the choice. “Oh, I can’t say enough good things about (Bobrovsky),” Matthews said.
What It Means For Toronto’s Goaltending Plans
Going back to Bobrovsky so quickly after a five-goal outing signals the Maple Leafs are treating this as a short-term speed bump rather than a reason to hand the net over to Stolarz. Toronto signed Bobrovsky to a three-year contract on July 1 after he won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2024 and 2025 with the Florida Panthers, and the team is clearly banking on that track record holding up over a full season rather than 10 games.
Mats Sundin, the Maple Leafs’ senior executive adviser, pointed to the ripple effect a goaltender like Bobrovsky can have beyond his own save totals. “If you have a goalie like Bobrovsky or Henrik Lundqvist, I think it effects the whole team, the confidence of the team,” Sundin said.
Context Behind The Numbers
Bobrovsky’s early struggles in Toronto follow a down year in Florida, where he went 27-23-1 with a 3.07 GAA and an .877 save percentage in 52 games last season. The Maple Leafs attribute that decline to injuries that hit key Panthers players rather than any drop-off tied to Bobrovsky’s age.
There is a milestone riding on Tuesday’s result. A win over Utah would give Bobrovsky 460 career victories, passing Lundqvist for the most wins by a goaltender born outside North America.
What’s Next
The Maple Leafs host the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET at Scotiabank Arena. Toronto’s previous game, the 5-4 loss to Seattle, is detailed in the Total Apex Sports recap of Kraken beat Maple Leafs 5-4.
The Leafs also face the Kraken again later in the week, covered in the preview for Maple Leafs vs. Kraken on Wednesday.
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