Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz left midway through the second period Monday night in a 5-4 win against the Florida Panthers in Game 1.
At the 7:16 mark of the second period, Panthers forward Sam Bennett used his elbow to make contact with Stolarz’s head during a small scramble in front of the net. The hit was reminiscent to what we saw in Game 4 on Lightning’s Brandon Hagel.
There was no penalty called on the play that injured Stolarz. He initially stayed by the net for a couple of minutes, but during the television time out, Stolarz was seen throwing up at Toronto's bench. He was later removed from the game and taken in an ambulance for further evaluation.
“Elbow to the head. Clear as day,” Leafs coach Craig Berube said after the game. “I’m not sure why there’s not a call on it. But, you know, I get it. They miss calls. It’s clearly a penalty.”
Panthers coach Paul Maurice cited lack of penalty being assessed when asked about the contact.
"The referee is standing right there when it happened," said Maurice. "The league will do its thing [in reviewing the play]. And I will coach the next game. Hopefully."
The Panthers declined to make Sam Bennett available to media after the game.
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Stolarz was pulled after this collision with Bennett
This isn’t the first time the Panthers have found themselves in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Just a week ago in Game 4, Tampa Bay forward Brandon Hagel saw his postseason cut short after an elbow hit by Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad caught him in the head and neck area.
There was no penalty on the play, and Hagel did not return. Ekblad was suspended for two games as the NHL Department of Player Safety determined the hit was done “with requisite force for supplemental discipline.” On Friday, it was confirmed that Hagel suffered a concussion.
“Two games to purposely hurt someone's head?," said Hagel. "For me, that’s as purposeful as you could possibly see a headshot, to say the least."
"The most frustrating part is, I think hockey is the best sport in the entire world, the way it's played and the honesty and the respect for a lot of the players, it's as competitive as it gets on the ice. They didn't say a single word to me. I would have answered the bell if someone would have said, 'Let's fight.'”