Maple Leafs Goalie Anthony Stolarz Injured by Puck in Warmups

In a startling turn of events, Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz was sidelined just before the game against the Ottawa Senators after taking a puck to the throat during warmups. The incident forced Stolarz to be taken to a hospital for precautionary imaging, although he was later released.

With Stolarz unable to start, Joseph Woll took over in net for the Maple Leafs, who ultimately fell to the Senators 5-2 on March 21. After the game, Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube confirmed that Stolarz planned to join the team for their flight back to Toronto, but he did not provide any further updates on the goaltender’s condition.

Forward William Nylander, who inadvertently struck Stolarz with a warmup shot, expressed his concern. “Obviously it’s, you know, really tough to see that happen,” Nylander said. “I always come in and shoot the puck in the glove, and this one just came off a little bit to the left, and I hit him in the neck. So, I mean, I was obviously worried for him, but, I mean, I’ve been texting with him, so he seems to be OK.”

Stolarz, now in his second season with the Maple Leafs, has recorded an 8-9-3 record, boasting a 3.34 goals-against average and a .894 save percentage over 22 games. The 32-year-old goaltender, who was a backup during the Florida Panthers’ Stanley Cup win in 2024, had previously missed 33 games earlier this season due to an upper-body injury.

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.