NHL: Florida Panthers at Toronto Maple Leafs – Source: Imagn

Anthony Stolarz backstopped the Toronto Maple Leafs to a massive 3-2 win over their division rival Florida Panthers on Wednesday at Scotiabank Arena.

The former Panther stopped 29 out of 31 shots en route to his career-best 17th win of the season. The win further solidified Toronto’s standing as the number one seed in the Atlantic division, now with 96 points, three ahead of Tampa Bay (93 points), and four ahead of Florida (92 points).

Stolarz was in the spotlight during and after the game for his strong performance. Several of his teammates and the coach praised him during their postgame media availabilities for the competitiveness he’s brought to the team all season.

“Yeah, he’s been phenomenal all year,” John Tavares said. “And you know, he’s, you know, he’s got a little bit of a laid-back personality, but his intensity once he puts those pads on is pretty incredible, and the way he’s barking and talking out there and into the game.”

“I think he’s one of the most vocal goalies I’ve ever had,” Mitch Marner said. “Which is great, you know, he lets you know where guys are on the ice, penalty 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁, even strength wise, you know, even up ice wise. So that’s what you want from your goalie.”

“I think he’s, he’s kind of ruthless back there,” Matthew Knies said. “He gets screaming and yelling at us, but I think it just makes him play better. You know, I think he’s, you know, extremely motivated and wants to win really bad.”

“He’s a very personable guy off the ice and, you know, great guy, good to talk to and stuff, but on the ice he’s pretty intense,” coach Craig Berube said. “I’ve heard him a few times, not too happy about things. Which is fine, he’s fiery, which is good. You like, you like that fire.”

nthony Stolarz has been well worth the two-year, $5 million contract he signed with the Maple Leafs last offseason. If he continues his strong play next year, he should earn himself a nice payday after the 2025-26 campaign.

Anthony Stolarz appears to have the upper hand on the starting role heading into the playoffs

While a decision is not yet imminent, it’s becoming clear that Anthony Stolarz is in the lead to be the starting goaltender for the Maple Leafs come playoff time.

Craig Berube has rolled out Stolarz for many of Toronto’s biggest recent games against some of the NHL’s best, including Los Angeles, Colorado and Florida multiple times. He’s proven his coach right by stringing together consistently good performances every night.

The 31-year-old now has a 17-8-3 record, with a 2.34 goals-against average, a .920 save percentage, and one shutout on the season. If he hadn’t missed time in the middle of the year due to a knee injury, he would likely be in the running to be a finalist for the Vezina Trophy.

Anthony Stolarz and the Maple Leafs return to action on Saturday when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets. The puck drops at 7 p.m. EST at Scotiabank Arena.