Stolarz has allowed two or fewer goals in seven of his first nine games with the Maple Leafs this season.
Anthony Stolarz bent, but never broke, earning his first shutout with the Toronto Maple Leafs in their 4-0 win over the Boston Bruins.
The 30-year-old goaltender fought off all of Boston's 29 shots, and after some of the saves, the fans inside Scotiabank Arena rose to their feet to cheer on the towering 6-foot-6 netminder.
"It's always going to get you going, and you appreciate the support and they're the ones who kind of drive us and give us energy," Stolarz said following his first shutout of the season.
"Anytime that they can get loud and make some noise for us, we really appreciate it."
Through nine games, Stolarz has brought an incredibly calm presence to Toronto's net. His composure makes his teammates in front of him relaxed knowing that saves will be made.
"I'm really comfortable with him back there," forward Matthew Knies, who had a goal and an assist on the power play on Tuesday evening.
There were several saves against Boston when it didn't seem like Stolarz could reach across and stop the puck. However, as the goaltender has done for most of the season with Toronto, he slid across to make some game-saving saves.
Stolarz credits his confidence with allowing him to use his mobility to make strong saves.
"Just kind of working on my game, my edges. Being a bigger guy, you kind of don't have to challenge out as far, and I know if I set my feet and see a puck and see the release, I like my chances of stopping it," he said.
Stolarz holds a 5-2-2 record through nine games, plus a .928 save percentage, the third-best in the NHL, behind Lukas Dostal and Igor Shesterkin. He's giving the Maple Leafs a chance to win in every game. His teammates notice that.
"Massive saves. I mean, a couple massive backdoor saves coming across the crease. Stolie's been doing this all year for us in that net. So big kudos to him," Mitch Marner said.
"Definitely could have been a different game or a different score without him. So it was massive. It was great to hear the fans give them the love he deserved for it too."
When Stolarz arrived in Toronto, he was coming off a season where he appeared in 27 games with the Florida Panthers, winning 16 of those games and posting a .925 save percentage.
The Maple Leafs elected to sign him to a two-year, $5 million contract. This opportunity, for Stolarz, was a chance for him to get the net more, and so far, that's what's occurring in Toronto.
"He's been incredible every night. Even nights where we've lost, he's been amazing, and played more than well enough for us to win. So, yeah, he's been incredible back there for us."
Stolarz has impressed his teammates with his play and he's likely done the same with Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube, who said on Tuesday morning that he liked the goaltender's last game.
But after another strong performance, this time against the Bruins, Toronto's coach isn't surprised by Stolarz's strong play.
"I think that going back to last year, his season he had, if you look at his numbers, 29 games, I think he played, and played extremely well. He's been around a while," Berube said after Toronto's win over Boston.
"He's really learned how to be a real good goalie, understand what he needs to do in that to be successful, and he's shown it now. Like, I think he showed it all last year, too."