Feb 28, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz (41) defends the net in the third period against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images [https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/deweb-519a7.appspot.com/o/posts%2FNHLTML%2Fcontent-images%2F0797fbf5-e675-42b4-8959-79e35788d384.jpeg?alt=media] Feb 28, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz (41) defends the net in the third period against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images NEW YORK — If the New York Rangers leave their home on Friday feeling like they just got goalied by the Toronto Maple Leafs, it's because they were. Anthony Stolarz made 33 saves on 35 shots to help Toronto defeat New York 3-2 at Madison Square Garden. They were outplayed for much of the evening, with the Rangers having a 71 percent share of expected goals at 5-on-5, according to NaturalStatTrick.com [https://www.naturalstattrick.com/game.php?season=20242025&game=20945]. But when you have the goaltending, you can win on nights like this. Stolarz, making his third start in Toronto's last four games, was as sharp as he had to be on his mark all night against a desperate Rangers team trying to make the playoffs. His win helped Toronto win their fourth straight since the club returned from the 4 Nations Face-Off break. "Stolie just stood on his head all game," Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies said. "This was a big game and he stepped up in the big moments and made the saves that we needed." Stolarz missed six weeks this season due to a pebble in his knee. He came back for one start against the Seattle Kraken and played well. But then came the 4 Nations break. With a 13-5-2record and .927 save percentage, the goaltender would likely have been up for some serious Vezina Trophy consideration had he not got hurt and continued to put up those numbers. ‘I Want To Get Him Back In There’: Why Maple Leafs’ Anthony Stolarz Will Start Against Hurricanes [https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/deweb-519a7.appspot.com/o/posts%2FNHLTML%2Fcontent-images%2Fa791a1c7-4c91-40e2-ab5d-4d4a5ac636d3.jpeg?alt=media] ‘I Want To Get Him Back In There’: Why Maple Leafs’ Anthony Stolarz Will Start Against Hurricanes Resuming NHL action, goaltender Anthony Stolarz gets the nod for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/i-want-to-get-him-back-in-there-why-maple-leafs-anthony-stolarz-will-start-against-hurricanes] Despite the recent success, Stolarz isn't taking it for granted. Even as both Stolarz and goaltender Joseph Woll battle it out to see who will become the go-to goaltender for when the playoffs begin in April. "Nothing is set in stone," Stolarz said. "I don't think we want to look too far ahead, I know I won't. With Woll posting a decent 20-11-0 record with a .910 save percentage, Toronto hasn't had a goaltending tandem look this stable in quite some time. Certainly allowing the Leafs to not feel too down about their performance on nights like these. "Can't say enough good things about our goaltenders. It's good shit." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwytvfCA?ceid=CA:en&oc=3] to never miss a story.
