The Leafs’ statement win in Game 1 comes at a cost
The Toronto Maple Leafs passed a crucial test Monday night. Barely. And a completely different one looms now.
From the 33-second mark, when William Nylander beat Sergei Bobrovsky with a short-side wrist shot, it appeared the Leafs would enthusiastically ace Game 1 of their second-round matchup against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. Twelve minutes later, Nylander settled down a rebound, showed silky poise and deked out Bobrovsky to put Toronto up 2-0. It was Nylander’s 10th goal in his last 13 playoff games. His frosty precision represented a Toronto team finally looking ready to handle the moment. Even when Seth Jones’ long-distance point shot on the power play cut the lead to 2-1, Morgan Rielly finished off a 2-on-1 just 19 seconds later to widen the lead again. Toronto had its swagger from puck drop at Scotiabank Arena and didn’t shy away from the Panthers’ physicality.
But just when it felt like Toronto would cruise, after a Chris Tanev point shot bounced past Bobrovsky to make it 4-1 early in the second…everything changed. If you’re a long-suffering Leafs fan, you’re used to these sudden, pivotal, series-changing phenomena. Toronto was victim to one in the 2023 playoffs when the Panthers’ Sam Bennett concussed Matthew Knies with a heavy hit, and Monday night, it was Bennett again, buzzing the Toronto net and clipping goaltender Anthony Stolarz in the side of the head. Was it an accidental shot or was it an example of the famously disruptive, mean power forward knowing exactly what he was doing?
“Elbow to the head, clear as day,” said Leafs coach Berube.
“The referee was standing right there when it happened,” said Panthers coach Paul Maurice.
Clean or not, the play altered the course of the game. Stolarz removed himself after a couple minutes and ended up vomiting on the bench. He reportedly left Scotiabank Arena on a stretcher. Backup Joseph Woll entered the game cold during a TV timeout, and his night was adventurous to say the least. He’s the quicker, more athletic goaltender than Stolarz and has better rebound control, but the calmness Stolarz has brought to the crease so far in these playoffs evaporated once Woll took the net.
“You go from just kind of chillin’ to being in the front line of action,” Woll said. “I’ve been trying to do my best to stay prepared, be ready for moments like that. You never know what happens. [You] just try to get the feel back.”
Woll fought the puck, struggling to find it through traffic. He was beaten on a deft deflection by Eetu Luostarinen early in the third. Florida’s third goal was the most concerning, as depth defenseman Uvis Balinskis scored on a shot Woll saw all the way. He saved -0.86 goals above expected after taking over at the 30:12 mark.
The good news: the Leafs, simply a more mature and composed team under Berube, refused to wilt. When the home crowd began to hold its breath after Florida narrowed the score to 4-3, Knies played hero, winning a foot race against Carter Verhaeghe, galloping end-to-end and roofing a backhander over Bobrovsky’s shoulder to make it 5-3.
“Somebody asked me what I was most impressed by with Knies, I said his hands,” Berube said. “He’s got great hands in tight. And I didn’t know this coming here. And you see the power in the skating and the physicality and that sort of stuff, but the hands are really good in tight. And that was a great example of it tonight, the goal he scored.”
Scotiabank Arena’s collective blood pressure spiked again when a Bennett shot ramped up Brandon Carlo’s stick and past a helpless Woll with 1:55 to go but, again, the Leafs held on. They walked away with a 5-4 victory. Toronto survived a tense third period in which the Panthers controlled more than 64 percent of the expected goals at 5-on-5. The Leafs played a disciplined game, avoiding many post-whistle skirmishes. And they now lead a playoff series in Round 2 for the first time since 2002.
So they can feel proud of how they took it to the defending champs early and ate their best punches late in Game 1. But that was just one test. Next, we find out how Toronto’s identity changes if Stolarz misses time going forward. Berube had no update after the game, only reiterating the team’s statement that Stolarz was being evaluated.
If Stolarz is out, the Leafs lose arguably the MVP of their first-round victory over the Ottawa Senators. Stolarz wasn’t all-world elite in that series, but he was mostly excellent and repeatedly came up with important saves to preserve leads or keep games tied. That followed a stellar regular season in which Stolarz had the best goals saved above expected per 60 in the entire NHL among netminders who played at least 30 games. How will the Leafs respond in his potential absence going forward? They survived Monday, but the score was 3-1 Florida after the Stolarz injury.
Perhaps Woll deserves the benefit of the doubt, however. While not as consistent as Stolarz this season, Woll was mostly quite good, ranking seventh in goals saved above expected per 60, and he was stupendous in the playoffs against the Boston Bruins last year. We know Woll can play. The question is whether he can get his game to its peak form having not played since April 17 before his relief appearance Monday. And if Stolarz’s injury proves significant, it puts pressure on Woll given he has struggled mightily to stay healthy himself in his career. Is he up to the playoff workload? He wasn’t last year, when he was forced to pull out the day of Game 7.
So while the Leafs have to be happy emerging with a win in Game 1, the mood in their postgame media availability was somewhat grim. Was it reflective of a team all grown up, not allowing itself to get too high or too low? Or do the Leafs fear a momentum shift if Bennett has indeed knocked Stolarz out of the series?
For now, all they can do is maintain the poker face and hope (a) Stolarz is OK or (b) that two days of preparation have Woll looking like his normal self in Game 2.
“We have all the faith in the world in Joe,” Rielly said. “You don’t want anyone to leave the game. But we have faith in our depth and our guys. I thought Joe came in and played well.”
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