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Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Stolarz vomits on bench and exits on stretcher after hit to head

Adam Laskaris
Adam Laskaris
|
May 6 2025, 2:03 am
Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Stolarz vomits on bench and exits on stretcher after hit to head
Marc DesRosiers/Imagn Images

Less than two periods into their second-round playoff series against the Florida Panthers, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been forced into a goalie change.

A second-period collision between Florida forward Sam Bennett and Toronto goaltender Anthony Stolarz saw the Leafs netminder get yanked from the game after appearing to be struck hard by Bennett’s arm.

No penalty was assessed on the play.

Though Stolarz attempted to remain in the action for a few more minutes, after returning to the bench on a pair of commercial breaks, he ultimately exited the game and was replaced by Joseph Woll after having a series of conversations with him. The Leafs confirmed prior to the third period that Stolarz was out for the game.

“We don’t believe the concussion spotter pulled him, because 10 minutes of real time had passed [before he was pulled],” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shared during the second intermission.

An additional shot on the broadcast showed what looked like Stolarz may have been vomiting into a bucket on the Leafs bench.

The Leafs were leading 4-1 midway through the second period at the time of Stolarz’s departure, and ended up winning the game 5-4 after Woll was inserted.

Following the game, NHL insider Chris Johnston added that Stolarz left the arena on a stretcher, later confirming that he was transported to a local hospital.

Bennett’s long history with the Maple Leafs

A native of Holland’s Landing, Ontario, who spent a few years of his childhood playing for various GTHL minor hockey teams in Toronto before spending his OHL days in Kingston, Bennett is no stranger to the Maple Leafs.

Most Leafs fans likely remember Bennett was the one who knocked Matthew Knies out of the 2023 playoffs from a body-slam to the ice in the Toronto forward’s rookie season.

During the same series, Bennett was fined for a cross-check on former Leafs forward Michael Bunting.

Woll actually entered the postseason with more NHL playoff experience than Stolarz, coming in with four starts compared to zero.

But after Stolarz outplayed Woll down the stretch for the Leafs this season (and after four big wins over the Senators in the first round), he’d established himself as someone the Leafs were looking for to be the No. 1 goalie for the playoff run.

While we don’t know how Stolarz will recover from the play, it appears that Woll is the man in the Leafs’ crease for the time being.

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