Maple Leafs' Jim Hiller Explains Why Sergei Bobrovsky Starts Against Mammoth Instead Of Anthony Stolarz

Goaltending has become a bit of a talking point with the Toronto Maple Leafs. While Anthony Stolarz has won his last three starts, Sergei Bobrovsky put together one of his worst performances against the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday.

In Stolarz's last game against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, he posted a .929 save percentage, earning his fourth win of the year in five games. Meanwhile, Bobrovsky registered a .706 SP against the Kraken.

After Monday's practice in Toronto, head coach Jim Hiller revealed that Bobrovsky would be starting in the Leafs' game on Tuesday against the Utah Mammoth. This will be the 38-year-old's 11th game of the year, and he's looking to improve on his 3-5-2 record and .885 SP.

"Well, we have a plan," Hiller said of the decision. "You know, we look at the schedule. It's long. There's different things. There's rest. There's lots of different things to go into it. So, just something we talk about, and we make a decision based on what we've laid out, and we just move forward.

"There's always flexibility. But we look at the schedule in the summer. Start to lay it out, talk to the goalies, talk to everybody, so it's been laid out for quite some time," he added.

Looking at Stolarz's numbers, a 2.66 goals-against average and a .910 SP in six starts this year, it's easy to wonder if his performances put a dent in the original plan for the starting goaltenders, and if it influences the pattern set by the coaching staff in any way.

"I don't know. It's hard to know, isn't it?" Hiller said. "It's hard to know, but he's played very well, there's no question.

"I think you're always re-evaluating whatever the plan is. You're always giving input. There's always a good discussion. And then you come up with a consensus. And I say consensus, then ultimately someone has to make a final decision. But you take in all parties, and they're good discussions," he said of what goes into the planning.

"I kind of just let it be," Stolarz said about the goaltending rotation plan. "You know, it's up to me. My job is to go out there, prepare every day and just be ready to go, and that's all I've been focusing on."

Toronto has already gotten a taste of what the Mammoth area is about, facing them on the road on Oct. 13 in a 5-4 loss. Stolarz was called upon to start that game, and it's been the only loss of his campaign so far, recording an .821 SP.

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