What do you get when you pair the victors of the Battle of Florida and the Battle of Ottawa? Another battle (name suggestions welcome in the comments). That’s exactly what’s playing out in Game 1 between the defending champions and the Maple Leafs as Round 2 of the NHL playoffs heats up. And why wouldn’t it? It took Leafs forward William Nylander all of 33 seconds to find the back of the net, putting the Florida Panthers on the back foot, and that was only the beginning.

The Maple Leafs scored two more times in the first shift. Although the Florida Panthers answered back, the Leafs re-established their three-goal lead, scoring the sole goal in the second period. The defending champions’ frustration showed as they failed to score, and things got rough. Even the Maple Leafs goalie couldn’t escape the hits. As SDNP’s Jesse Blake put it, a ‘bump’ from Sam Bennett floored Anthony Stolarz, and he couldn’t continue.

Meanwhile, insider Elliotte Friedman wrote: “Joseph Woll is in for Stolarz… a few minutes ago, Stolarz took an elbow from Sam Bennett,” on X. While many thought Stolarz would return when the third period started, things might be worse than anyone expected. “Leafs announce Stolarz will not return… Woll in goal,” Elliotte added in a follow-up post as the third shift started. So what exactly happened?

The Florida Panthers forward took a close-range shot at the goal, which Stolarz blocked. However, Bennett seemed to deliver an elbow hit while skating away. While the Leafs pulled their goalie, B/R Open Ice posted another concerning clip. It showed the Leafs’ goalie apparently vomiting over at the Leafs’ bench before they pulled him out of the game outright.

“There’s a bucket that comes out here,” confirmed the announcer. Meanwhile, former Leafs star Jay Rosehill posted some even more shocking news. “I’m hearing Stolarz left the building on a stretcher…” the former NHL star wrote. Insider Chris Johnston confirmed the update, while an expert raised alarm bells on social media.

Anthony Stolarz incident overshadows Leafs trumping Florida Panthers

William Nylander’s opening goal stunned the Panthers’ defense just 33 seconds into the game. He would later score again to add to the goal tally in their victory. This was a great showing for the Leafs, as many underestimated them for nearly giving away a 3-0 series lead against Ottawa in Round 1. Yet, the cost of this victory might just turn out to be too great.

Chris Nowinski, the founder of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, raised alarm bells after the clip of Stolarz vomiting by the bench surfaced. Although he initially passed the Leafs for pulling their goalie from the Florida Panthers game, he made a different post. “When I initially posted on Anthony Stolarz, I didn’t know they initially left him in for more than two minutes until he started vomiting on the bench. We need to do better,” said the PhD holder.

“PSA: If you vomit multiple times after a brain injury, get to the emergency room,” explained the concussions expert. Renowned NHL insider Frank Seravalli also shared the post, revealing Nowinski is a neuroscientist on top of being a concussion expert. So it’s safe to say Nowinski is well aware of the symptoms of a head injury. What’s more? Nowinski explained the Bennett hit wasn’t the first time the Leafs goalie was hit tonight.

Nowinski said it was “likely” a concussion and shared footage of a 1st period Sam Reinhart shot hitting Anthony Stolarz’s helmet square in the temple. The shot was so powerful that it knocked the mask off the netminder’s face. So while the Toronto Maple Leafs won the match, fans and experts are tense about the hockey goaltender’s injury. The Maple Leafs are yet to make any official announcements regarding the incident.