Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz was taken to a hospital as a precautionary measure after being hit in the throat by a puck during pre-game warmups before Saturday's NHL game against the Ottawa Senators.

Stolarz was scratched from the lineup. He underwent imaging scans and was later released from the hospital, according to the league's official website.[1]

Joseph Woll replaced Stolarz in net for the Maple Leafs, who fell 5-2 to the Senators. The shot that struck Stolarz was taken by teammate William Nylander during routine warmups and was captured on video by Sportsnet.

Nylander addressed the incident after the game: "Obviously, it’s really tough to see that happen. I mean, 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 was obviously worried for him, but I’ve been texting with him. So, he seems to be OK."[2]

Head coach Craig Berube, who was named Toronto's head coach on May 17, 2024,[3] said after the loss that he had no further update on Stolarz but expected the goaltender to join the team for their flight back to Toronto.

Stolarz, 32, was born in Edison, New Jersey.[4] He is in his second season with the Maple Leafs after signing a five-year contract worth $27.5 million on July 1, 2024.[5]

The previous season, Stolarz backed up Sergei Bobrovsky with the Florida Panthers, contributing to their 2024 Stanley Cup victory with a 13-5-3 record, 2.22 goals-against average and .902 save percentage in 23 regular-season games.[6]

Sources

1. NHL.com, Toronto Maple Leafs match centre (incident details), March 2026 (publication date approximate based on event), https://www.nhl.com/mapleleafs
2. New York Post, Nylander post-game comments on Stolarz injury, March 2026, https://nypost.com/sports/
3. NHL.com, "Maple Leafs name Craig Berube 20th head coach in franchise history", May 17, 2024, https://www.nhl.com/mapleleafs/news/maple-leafs-name-craig-berube-20th-head-coach-in-franchise-history
4. Wikipedia, "Anthony Stolarz", accessed October 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Stolarz
5. NHL.com, "Anthony Stolarz signs five-year contract with Maple Leafs", July 1, 2024, https://www.nhl.com/news/anthony-stolarz-signs-five-year-contract-with-maple-leafs
6. NHL.com, Anthony Stolarz player stats page, accessed October 2024, https://www.nhl.com/player/anthony-stolarz-8476860