Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz was forced to miss his scheduled start Saturday night after a puck hit him in the throat during pre-game warmups against the Ottawa Senators.
The incident occurred at Canadian Tire Centre when forward William Nylander fired a shot intended for Stolarz’s glove side. The puck veered slightly left and struck the 32-year-old netminder in the neck area, sending him to the locker room. Stolarz underwent precautionary imaging at a local hospital before being released and cleared to rejoin the team for their flight back to Toronto. His status remains uncertain for Tuesday’s matchup in Boston.
Joseph Woll stepped in for his second consecutive start, facing 43 shots in a 5-2 defeat to the Senators. The backup had stopped 32 of 36 shots the previous night in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. Woll has shouldered the load recently, appearing in five of Toronto’s last six games as Stolarz shifted to a backup role following a strong outing on March 15 against the Minnesota Wild.
Coach Craig Berube confirmed after the game that Stolarz was out of the hospital and en route to meet the team. Nylander expressed concern over the mishap, noting he had been checking in with his teammate, who appeared to be doing well. Forward John Tavares echoed the sentiment, describing the situation as precautionary but emphasizing the need for the group to push through tough breaks.
This marks the second significant setback for Stolarz this season. The veteran missed 33 games earlier due to an upper-body injury. In 22 appearances this year, his second with Toronto, he holds an 8-9-3 record with a 3.34 goals-against average and .894 save percentage. After joining the Maple Leafs on a two-year, $5 million deal ahead of the 2024–25 campaign, fresh off backing up Sergei Bobrovsky on Florida’s Stanley Cup–winning squad, Stolarz signed a four-year, $15 million extension in September 2025 and now brings 72 regular-season wins across five NHL stops.
The loss dropped the Maple Leafs to 29-29-13, leaving them 13 points out of the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot held by Detroit. With Woll managing a heavy workload and Stolarz’s availability in doubt, Toronto faces mounting pressure in a crowded playoff chase as the schedule tightens.
Anthony Stolarz has been taken to the hospital for precautionary imaging after taking a shot up high in warmups from William Nylander. There has been no further update. pic.twitter.com/VJbCLN5nmc
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) March 21, 2026
