'Just Any Other Opponent': Anthony Stolarz Shuts The Door For Maple Leafs Despite Surprise Start Against Oilers

The Toronto Maple Leafs put up an impressive victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, taking the contest with a 7-2 score. Toronto's depth scoring throughout the lineup was on display, with each line contributing at least one goal. But also coming up large was goaltender Anthony Stolarz, which was a bit of a surprise with him getting the start.

It was expected that Sergei Bobrovsky would get the start given the break between games, and those outings typically get handed to the starter. But Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller made the decision to put in Stolarz, and he certainly delivered against one of the hottest teams in the league.

After the game, Stolarz said he found out he was going to start in Saturday's game on Friday.

"It's just any other opponent," Stolarz said after Toronto's win over Edmonton. "At the end of the day, you have to pre-scout and do a little bit of homework on their top guys and certain plays. But the rink's the same size, puck's the same size, you just got to go out there and play. I think this is probably our most complete game of the year, and hopefully sets a standard for us going forward."

The 32-year-old netminder ended his night with a .938 save percentage, stopping 30 of 32 shots, and earned his fourth win of the campaign in five appearances this year. That boosts his numbers to a .907 SP and a 2.79 goals-against average.

This is Stolarz's second-straight performance in which he stood out for the team, with his previous appearance coming against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. In that game, he registered a .947 and stopped 36 shots.

"I thought the Columbus game was pretty good for me," Stolarz reflected. "I think we had one day of practice. After that, Curtis (Sanford) and I just worked on a few things. But you know, it's a long season. Going to have ups and downs. But tonight, I felt really good. So just trying to stay level-headed, stay the course, and when the guys play like that, it makes my job a lot easier."

"I liked he made the saves," Hiller said of Stolarz's performance. "You know what I mean? Like, I thought we did a pretty good job for the most part, but they had some real high-leverage shots and opportunities, and he was able to make those saves. That was really important for us. When we did break down, he was there."

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