Maple Leafs defenseman provides positive update regarding goaltender Anthony Stolarz following his exit in Game 1 against Panthers

Anthony Stolarz would exit Game 1 between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers after taking two hits to his head.

Maple Leafs defenseman provides positive update regarding goaltender Anthony Stolarz following his exit in Game 1 against Panthers

Anthony Stolarz (Image via Sportsnet)

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz was forced to exit Game 1 against the Florida Panthers after getting concussed. The 31-year-old suffered two hits to his head and was later taken to a nearby hospital. One of his teammates later provided a positive update regarding him.

In the first period of the game, Stolarz took a puck right to his face through a powerful shot from Sam Reinhardt. The mask of Stolarz would fall down on the ice, leading to an immediate whistle from the officials to stop the play.

During the second period, Panthers defenseman Sam Bennett collided with Stolarz. The elbow of Bennett would hit the side of Stolarz’s leaving him down. After a few minutes on the ice, the Maple Leafs goaltender was replaced and exited the game after throwing up near his team’s bench.

On Tuesday, defenseman Brandon Carlo spoke on this incident. The American International expressed that his teammate was doing “well” and he liked the way he looked in the morning after being discharged from the hospital.

I think he’s doing well. I’ll allow coach to give any updates on that. But, overall, I liked the way that he looked this morning when I got to see him for a smile at breakfast, so that’s always a good thing.

Brandon Carlo said as per Mark Masters of TSN

Currently, Stolarz has not been completely ruled out of Game 2 on Wednesday. So far, he has started all 7 Stanley Cup playoff games this year.

No disciplinary action will be taken against Sam Bennett for his hit on Anthony Stolarz

The hit from Sam Bennett on Anthony Stolarz became the talking point from a thrilling 5-4 game in Toronto. Bennett, who is known for landing some big hits, collided with Stolarz in the 2nd period, which later forced the netminder to leave the game.

Sam Bennett and Anthony Stolarz
Sam Bennett and Anthony Stolarz (Image via Florida Hockey Now/Yardbarker)

Following this hit from him, several fans on social media demanded that the NHL Department of Player Safety step in and take some action. However, that did not turn out to be the case.

After insider Emily Kaplan informed that no action would likely take place against Bennett, insider Chris Johnston slowly confirmed that development. Bennett will not face any disciplinary action and will be allowed to take part in Game 2 on Wednesday.

In the meeting between these two teams during the 2023 playoffs, Bennett had landed a hit on Matthew Knies, which left the forward concussed and saw him miss two games. However, even at that time, the Panthers’ star did not face any fine, leading to wild reactions from the NHL fans.

Sam Bennett admits to ‘reaching out’ to Anthony Stolarz after goaltender got hospitalized

On Monday night, Sam Bennett once again became a huge public enemy in the eyes of the Toronto Maple Leafs fans. His hit on Anthony Stolarz stole all the headlines from that game. On Tuesday, the 28-year-old opened up about the incident and claimed that he ‘reached out’ to him.

Sam Bennett and Anthony Stolarz
Sam Bennett and Anthony Stolarz (Image via Yardbarker/Sportsnet)

Last season, the two players shared the locker room of the Panthers. Stolarz served as the backup goalie to Sergei Bobrovsky during the team’s run to the Stanley Cup triumph. After the triumph, he left the team as an unrestricted free agent and joined the Maple Leafs on a 2-year $5 million deal.

A day after his hit on Stolarz, Bennett broke his silence. While addressing the situation, the Canadian International expressed that he was just trying to take the puck and avoid making contact with his ex-teammate.

I heard that he went to the hospital last night. Stoly is a good friend of mine. I reached out to him, and he responded. You never want to see an injury like that. From my point of view, I am just taking the puck to the net. I didn’t even know we made contact until after.

Sam Bennett told the reporters

These words from Bennett also come after the Panthers PR team informed that he was unavailable to speak to the media after the game. Speaking of the game, the Maple Leafs claimed an important 5-4 win and took a 1-0 series lead. They will now be hoping to continue this winning run on Wednesday and try to hold out the reigning Stanley Cup champions.

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