Did Stolarz Give the Maple Leafs a Season-Changing Game?
If you were looking for a turning point in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ season, you might circle their win in Edmonton and draw a big arrow straight toward Anthony Stolarz. Last night, he reminded Maple Leafs fans that he could still give a team calm, structure, and a little swagger from the crease. And as odd as it sounds, the Maple Leafs needed all three to take home a 5-2 win.
The Maple Leafs Came to Edmonton, Set Up for Problems.
The setup for disaster was right there. Edmonton came flying out of the gate, and you could tell from McDavid’s first shift that he had that extra gear. This is usually where things get wobbly for Toronto: rush chances against, penalties in bad spots, a goalie left to fend for himself. But Stolarz didn’t flinch. He made a couple of tough stops early — the kind of saves that don’t show up in the highlight packs but change the whole feel of a game — and from that point on, the Leafs seemed to settle into a rhythm.
This wasn’t a game where the goalie “robbed” the Oilers. It was more like Stolarz put down a foundation, and the team built a win on top of it. He was square to pucks, didn’t give up the messy rebounds, and handled the traffic well. When he did get bumped — which happens in Edmonton, intentionally or not — he shook it off and kept playing his game. By the end of the night, he had 34 saves, and you could see the confidence he’d been missing earlier in the season creeping back into his movements.
Stolarz Needed a Win to Reclaim His Season.
And he needed this one. First win since early November. Also, it was the first night that he looked like the version of himself Toronto expected when they brought him in. Even he admitted afterward that he “felt like himself again,” and you could hear the relief in his voice.
Of course, a performance like that works both ways. When the goalie is steady, the rest of the group buys in. Jake McCabe played nearly half the game, Brandon Carlo took a fight after a clean hit on McDavid, and the Maple Leafs actually managed to keep both McDavid and Draisaitl off the board. That almost never happens. Add two power-play goals in the third, and suddenly a tough night in a tough building becomes a three-game sweep through Western Canada.
This Still Doesn't Mean the Maple Leafs Can Make the Playoffs.
One game doesn’t rewrite a season, but Stolarz gave the Maple Leafs something they haven’t always had this year: a foothold. A reason to believe the climb back into the race is possible.
And heading into the Olympic break, that might be worth more than the two points.