On Nov. 11, the Toronto Maple Leafs met the Boston Bruins at TD Garden for a game that should not have been anything extraordinary. Sure, David Pastrnak scored his 400th NHL goal, enabling the Bruins to cruise past the Leafs. But the Nov. 11 loss has had far-reaching repercussions for the Leafs, one that they are reeling from to this day.
Toronto Maple Leafs Goalie Anthony Stolarz’s Return Not on the Horizon
The Leafs’ showdown with the Bruins ended disastrously. Not only did the Boston team manage to have the last laugh in their home arena, but the Leafs were adversely impacted in more ways than one. Toronto lost the game 5-3Â and witnessed two key players being compromised by injuries.
Gritty Bruins blueliner Nikita Zadorov hit Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews along the boards. Matthews consequently exited the game midway through the second period with a lower-body injury. Matthews missed quite a few games as a consequence, although Zadorov maintained that he had no intention to compromise Matthews, and all that happened was part of the routine.
Netminder Anthony Stolarz allowed three goals on 11 shots before marking his departure after the first period with an upper-body injury. While HC Craig Berube did not consider Stolarz’s injury grave at that particular point in time, the subsequent development has only made it apparent that Berube’s assessment was thoroughly incorrect.
According to a recent update provided by Leafslatest on their X handle, the goalie’s return remains far-fetched.
“There’s still no exact timetable for Anthony Stolarz to return from his injury. It’s good he’s back skating on his own and working his way up, but it’s one of those ones that’s so far down the road that maybe there isn’t a clear top line. With the Olympic break coming up in February, there’s a scenario where you don’t see him before that,” Leafslatest posted, pouring cold water on any remaining hopes of the fans about witnessing the goalie’s return.
It has been around two months since Stolarz has been sidelined with the injury that was once considered minor by Berube. Even before the injury wreaked havoc on the goalie, Stolarz’s numbers this season were far from encouraging. “But the goaltender himself has been grinding by through the skin of his teeth this season. He’s posted a 6-5-1 record with a 3.51 GAA and .884 SV%, which is a stark contrast from last year when he went 21-8-3 with a 2.14 GAA and .926 SV%,” Charlie McAfee of the Hockey Patrol pointed out.
A prolonged injury-induced absence at a time when Stolarz was already struggling to keep up his numbers was far from desirable. The Leafs, overall, have had tough luck with injuries this season, which have consistently held the team back. How the Maple Leafs will emerge from this slump and regain their composure remains to be seen.
