Leafs’ Anthony Stolarz leaves Game 1 against Panthers

Not the best news for the Atlantic Division champions.

In Game 1 of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz exited the game prematurely due to an undisclosed injury.

According to the Maple Leafs, Stolarz “remains under evaluation and will not return.”

The incident came in the second period of the game against the Florida Panthers. During a Florida power play, Stolarz was bumped by Panthers forward Sam Bennett. During a media timeout near the halfway mark of the frame, Stolarz was seen vomiting at the Leafs bench, leading to him exiting the game.

That led to Joseph Woll entering the game with 9:46 to go in the middle stanza. Dennis Hildeby was seen dressed on the Leafs bench when the third period began.

Stolarz stopped eight of the nine shots he faced in 30:12 of action.

The 31-year-old was a key reason why the Leafs were able to hang on to beat the Ottawa Senators in the first round, clinching the team’s second series win in three years. In the six games against the Sens, Stolarz posted a 2.21 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage.

Woll had not played since Toronto’s regular-season finale on April 17, a 4-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings. With Stolarz taking the reins as the No. 1 goaltender, the 26-year-old hasn’t played as much as he’d like.

Last season, Woll was a huge reason the Leafs were able to erase a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins, forcing a Game 7. However, Woll didn’t play in the final game as he was ruled out due to injury just hours before puck drop.

In 42 games during the regular season, Woll went 27-14-1 with a 2.73 GAA, a .909 SV% and one shutout.