Surprising Development at Practice Forces Maple Leafs to Make Unforeseen Starting Goalie Decision
The Toronto Maple Leafs are playing the New York Rangers tonight and unfortunately, a tough starting goalie decision had to be made out of the blue.
Anthony Stolarz started against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night and he was sensational in a 32-save performance where he had to stand on his head numerous times.
Due to his start on Tuesday, it was projected that Joseph Woll would be the goaltender against the New York Rangers on Friday.
Anthony Stolarz chosen over Joseph Woll
However, according to Luke Fox of Sportsnet reporting live from morning skate, Woll is dealing with some sort of illness and was not on the ice.
Consequently, it is being projected that Stolarz will, indeed, be the starting goalie tonight for the second straight game.
It is very rare that he ends up getting two starts in a row like this, especially when Woll isn't outright injured and out of the lineup. Regardless, he must now get ready and bring his a-game.
Anthony Stolarz has been an absolute beast this season and his statistics tell the tale of a goaltender who could very well steal a few series in the NHL playoffs.
A 2.23 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage is nothing to scoff at, and other teams should absolutely be a bit scared of him.
However, the Toronto Maple Leafs still have tough decisions to make considering Joseph Woll also has playoff experience and could be better suited for the important games.
The decision is going to rest on the shoulders of Craig Berube, who has been pretty good about his personnel decisions so far this season.
Meanwhile, Stolarz will look to give the Maple Leafs their fourth-straight win coming out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break. He has been sensational this season and the Leafs are most certainly confident with him in goal.
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 28 | 250 ANSWERS Surprising Development at Practice Forces Maple Leafs to Make Unforeseen Starting Goalie Decision Do you believe Anthony Stolarz will get the win for the Toronto Maple Leafs today? | ||
| YES | 245 | 98 % |
| NO | 5 | 2 % |
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