Concerns Building as Maple Leafs Goalie Anthony Stolarz Officially Placed on Injured Reserve

Anthony Stolarz has been a bright spot for the Maple Leafs this season, and depending on who you ask, many might refer to him as the team's MVP through the first quarter of the season.

Unfortunately, during his last start on Thursday, Stolarz tweaked something in his leg against the Anaheim Ducks and had to leave the game at the first intermission, with Joseph Woll coming in to relieve him to begin the second frame.

Ahead of this weekend's back-to-back against the Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube had already shut down the veteran netminder, leading to the team calling up rookie netminder Dennis Hildeby from the AHL's Toronto Marlies.

Unfortunately, while it initially appeared as though Stolarz's time on the shelf would be brief, the latest announcement coming out of Toronto indicates perhaps a longer absence than originally expected.

Per Leafs beat reporter David Alter of The Hockey News, the team has placed Stolarz on injured reserve on Sunday, which rules out any possibility that he'll be able to return against the Dallas Stars on December 18th.

Stolarz has posted borderline superhuman numbers this season, carrying a 2.15 GAA and a .927 SV% through 17 starts thus far.

The Leafs have yet to publicly speak about the specifics of Stolarz's injury and potential recovery timeline, other than to say that the injury was not a serious one and labeling him "day-to-day". Of course, that was before Stolarz was placed on IR.

The Leafs play the Buffalo Sabres today at 5pm, but will then have a few days off before Wednesday's matchup in Dallas. Hopefully, more information will be made available before then.