Anthony Stolarz has seen his play decline as the Leafs' goaltender has seen an increased workload.
For the first time since joining the Toronto Maple Leafs at the start of the 2024-25 NHL season, Anthony Stolarz was pulled for performance-related reasons after he allowed four goals on 19 shots in a 5-3 loss to the Boston Bruins.
Stolarz, who signed a new four-year, $15 million extension before the start of this season, has seen his performance slip this season to 6-5-1 with an .889 save percentage. There were a couple of goals that appears to just slip through the control of his pads that the goaltender admitted he would like back.
After the game he assessed his performance.
Yeah, I mean, first and foremost, you know, I got to bear down and make a save. I mean, giving up the first two shots, you know, not a good way to start the game. So, you know, I like to compete. You know, guys came out after that and kind of responded well. And, you know, we put a lot of pressure on them. But, you know, when you give a team like that a couple of freebies, you know, it's going to be a tough hill to climb back from.
What did you think of Dennis (Hildeby) tonight in relief for you there? (19 saves on 20 shots)
Yeah, it was awesome. I mean, I put him in a shit situation. So, you know, but he came in handling a true pro and played well. Just trying to give him some confidence on the bench. He's an easy guy to talk to. And he talks back to me on the bench as well. So, kudos to him for coming in and playing a solid game and giving us a chance to win.
Did you have a message for him, like, right before he came in? It looks like he said something to him at the time.
I just, you know, obviously apologizes first and foremost. You know, it's obviously a tough spot to come in. But just tell him to go out there and have fun and play his game.
In general, how satisfied are you with your play this season?
Well, yeah, it's obviously not up to par. I mean, you know, it seems like every night I'm giving up, one or two you want back. But, you know, for me, it's just, you know, life of a goalie. You kind of just have to put it behind you and, you know, just focus on the next game. And, you know, hopefully get back in practice, work on a few things and, you know, tighten it up.
You haven't played a lot. Like, have you sensed any fatigue, either mentally or physically?
No, I mean, the body feels good. So, you know, it's kind of what I trained for this summer. And, just kind of some bad balances, just some little technical things that, you know, you look at. And, you know, you look on the third one, just lifting that pad up for half a second, the puck goes under it. So I think for me, it's just kind of just going back to basics and, you know, just trying to regroup and find my game.
What are you seeing from the group in general? There's mistakes, there's little lapses. You guys played a good game the other night, but then tonight there's all those lapses that sort of undid you guys.
Yeah, but as the goalie you're the last line of defense, and your job's to step up and make a save. I didn't do that tonight. I thought we battled back, and we battled hard. You look at the way we were able to hem them in, the second and third. Once Dennis went in, I think we kind of gave us a little spark and I thought it was the right move. We almost got the comeback there.
What did you make of (Nilkta) Zadorov's hit on Scott (Laughton )and Bobby's response?
Yeah, I mean, obviously, a guy sticking up for a teammate's huge. I think that's something that our group has preached now. You know, he's obviously a big guy, and, you know, I thought Bobby handled himself well there.
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