Anthony Stolarz unlikely to travel with Maple Leafs to Florida for Game 6 against Panthers
TORONTO — With the Toronto Maple Leafs facing elimination in their second-round playoff series, head coach Craig Berube says goaltender Anthony Stolarz is unlikely to travel with the team to Florida for Friday's Game 6 against the Panthers.
Stolarz has been sidelined since suffering an apparent head injury in the series opener on May 5.
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While he skated Thursday morning at the Leafs practice facility, Berube didn't expect to see Stolarz on the team charter later that afternoon.
'I doubt it,' said Berube.
Joseph Woll, Stolarz's replacement, has been unable to keep pace with counterpart Sergei Bobrovsky in the series, posting an .877 save percentage compared with Bobrovsky's .897 save rate in the five games against Toronto.
Woll was pulled from Wednesday's 6-1 loss after allowing five goals on 24 shots. He gave way to veteran Matt Murray, a two-time Stanley Cup champion who lost virtually all of last season to double hip surgery and was making his first playoff appearance since Aug. 5, 2020.
Stolarz was the Leafs' most stable option at the position this year, finishing fourth among all NHL goalies with 25.8 goals saved above expected during the regular season, according to Moneypuck.
In Game 1 of the series against the Panthers, his former team, Stolarz took a shot from Sam Reinhart off the mask and then was hit in the side of the head by Sam Bennett's forearm. He threw up on the Leafs bench soon after and was taken to hospital for further evaluation.
Stolarz was held off the ice while recovering for roughly a week before resuming skating in recent days. He was seen taking shots from Leafs goalie coach Curtis Sanford before practice on Tuesday and was part of a session with the Black Aces on Thursday.
Florida enters Friday's game at Amerant Bank Arena with a 3-2 series lead and a chance to advance to the Eastern Conference final for a third straight year.
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