Drawing first blood in the playoff series against the Panthers, the Maple Leafs have announced they are not here to mess around. They want that 48-year Stanley Cup drought to end, and the Panthers would be a critical scalp in their Cup quest. But maybe the 5-4 win in the #1 game has come at a cost, a cost that may be a lot higher than anticipated.The Maple Leafs’ goaltender, Anthony Stolarz, had to leave the ice after an injury midway through the game on May 5. What exactly happened? And how is the goaltender doing?

Well, not exactly great. However, there has been some positive development, and the Maple Leafs fans would be relieved to hear it. The B/R Open Ice Twitter handle’s latest update went like this: “The latest on Anthony Stolarz … – He’s no longer in the hospital.” The ones who have been keeping tabs on the entire incident will be feeling a little lighter. But the ones who have no idea what is going on, settle down, because this is serious.

You know how the Maple Leafs’ #41 has been the go-to goaltender in the 2025 playoffs. And with a .901 save percentage, you can understand why. So, when Stolarz went down on the ice inside the Scotiabank Arena, it was a matter of concern. The incident happened around the 7:20 mark of the 2nd period when the Leafs were 3-1 up. During a messy scrimmage in front of the goal, Stolarz took an elbow from Panthers forward Sam Bennett to the back of the head.

The Leafs goalie looked dazed after taking the hit and had to go to the bench for a checkup with Paul Ayotte, the team’s head athletic therapist. Competitor that he is, Stolarz went back on the ice to play it out, but the 31-year-old could only last a few minutes. He was clearly affected and again retreated to the bench during a TV timeout. This was when he was seen vomiting, and the decision was made to take him out of the game.

Stolarz was in such bad shape that he had to be taken out of the arena on a stretcher and was taken straight to the hospital. Yes, the goaltender has since been released, although his exact condition is not yet known.

Overall, the goalie, who incidentally played the previous season with the Panthers, lasted 30:12 minutes on the ice on Monday, facing 9 shots while letting in 1. Another key point to note would be that Stolarz also took a hard shot to the mask from Sam Reinhart in the first period. The shot had so much sting that Anthony Stolarz’s mask came off. Did it have a cumulative effect on Stolarz’s overall ordeal?

Well, all we can say is it was critical. And we have to wait for further clarification from the Maple Leafs contingent, who have kept it vague for now.

How are the Maple Leafs dealing with the Anthony Stolarz injury?

The initial word from the Leafs coach, Craig Berube, was that the goalie’s condition was being evaluated. Well, speculation would be futile. But it did look like a concussion, with his dazed look, inability to focus, and vomiting. However, we have to wait for the professional diagnosis to be disclosed. And Leafs fans will hope it’s not something serious.

As for the game on Monday, the Lefas had to react. Quickly. But fortunately, replacement goalie Joseph Woll did an astute job, keeping out 17 out of 20 shots in the game. Well, he conceded 3, but mind you, the 26-year-old had no warmup and went straight into the heated mix. So, he did hold his own. Now, the question is, will he be asked to do the job again in game #2, and even for the whole series and on?

And the biggest question in the minds of Leafs fans is, can Joseph Woll hold down the fort as they try to chase down the Stanley Cup? His 2025 regular season .909 save percentage in 42 games is encouraging. Giving away just 2.73 goals per game on average, he is slightly behind Stolarz’s 2.16. Stolarz also had a .926 save percentage in 34 games.

Ask any Leafs fan; they would want Stolarz back as soon as possible. Because the Panthers’ challenge may be the most difficult of all, being the 2024 Stanley Cup winners and all.