Anthony Stolarz already sits just two assists shy of the Toronto Maple Leafs single-season franchise record for a goaltender, and he got there in a manner that nearly included a historic goal of his own.

The 32-year-old picked up his third assist of 2026-27 on Teddy Blueger’s empty-netter in Saturday’s 4-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. Moments earlier, with the Canucks net vacant, Stolarz surveyed the ice from his crease, saw a narrow opening and fired the puck the length of the rink. It lacked the distance to reach the net and instead caromed off a Vancouver defender, springing the play that William Nylander and Blueger finished.

“You look up and the walls are clogged and you kind of see a little bit of a lane, and you’re just trying to hope to get it up,” Stolarz said afterward. “You’re just looking to get the puck out of the zone, and we have a good play and a good system with the wingers there, so luckily it went off their guy right to our guys.”

That assist pushed Stolarz to three in only six games played. The Leafs’ record for assists by a goaltender in a single season is five, a mark shared by Ken Wregget (1987-88, 56 games), Mike Palmateer (1978-79, 58 games), Vesa Toskala (2007-08, 66 games) and Curtis Joseph (1998-99, 67 games). Stolarz is already more than halfway there before November, and he did not enter the season as the club’s clear No. 1.

Sergei Bobrovsky was the higher-profile acquisition expected to handle the bulk of the starts. Instead, Stolarz has delivered a 5-1-0 record, a 2.66 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage while the veteran has struggled at 3-5-2. The early production from the crease has been a quiet bonus for a team that has leaned on Stolarz more than anticipated.

Goalie goals remain rare. Igor Shesterkin’s empty-netter on Oct. 1 is still the only one in the NHL this season—and Stolarz’s attempt fell short of that standard. He settled for the assist, which keeps him on the fastest pace toward the Leafs’ goaltender scoring mark in decades. At this rate, the record may not last until Christmas.

As for the NHL record for assists in one season, that belongs to Grant Fuhr, who amassed 14 in 1983-84. 

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