Maple Leafs Confirm Starting Goaltender Versus the Suddenly Surging Buffalo Sabres
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski - Imagn Images
With an uncharacteristic start to the season, the Maple Leafs have confirmed their starting goalie tonight in Buffalo as they look to snap a 2-game losing streak.
With the Toronto Maple Leafs about to embark on a pivotal home-and-home series against the Buffalo Sabres, head coach Craig Berube is going back to Anthony Stolarz in net in the hopes of snapping their modest 2-game losing streak.
A Heavy Workload for Stolarz This Season
With Joseph Woll away from the team until today, the Leafs have leaned on Stolarz heavily to start the season, with tonight's contest going to be his 7th start out of 8 games.
Nevertheless, there will be some reprieve for the veteran as the Leafs have a few back-to-backs on deck, including tomorrow's contest against the same opponent, but on home ice.
Rough Start Numbers-Wise
Stolarz hasn't had the best of starts to his 2025-26 campaign as he carries a 2-3-1 record with a 3.01 GAA and a .894 SV%. Additionally, since opening night, he's posted a .885 SV% and 3.20 GAA, which are both uncharacteristically low numbers for him.
Expect those numbers to come back to the norm at some point, considering he's paced the league in save percentage over the last 2 seasons.
With a new contract in the books, Stolarz will be raring to get back on track, but tonight's game will be a little difficult with the injuries ravaging the defensive corps.
Injuries on the Blueline Could Complicate Matters
Chris Tanev was placed on the injured reserve yesterday after exiting Tuesday's game with an upper body injury and Morgan Rielly will be joining him on the sidelines with an undisclosed injury.
The Leafs recalled Dakota Mermis from the Toronto Marlies to take Tanev's spot on the roster and Philippe Myers will also be included in tonight's lineup as both defensemen are expected to make their season debuts.
The Buffalo Sabres are also on a hot streak with 3 wins in their last 4 games and outscoring the opposition 17-10 in that stretch. It's been a balanced attack to start the season, which means every defensive pair has to be up to the task.
For his career, Stolarz is 4-0-1 with a 1.18 GAA and a .963 SV% against the Sabres, which included a 35-save shutout in April of 2025. The Leafs will be hoping for more of the same tonight as they look to get back in the win column.
With Stolarz back in net tonight, we'll likely see Cayden Primeau start tomorrow night at Scotiabank Arena and back up Stolarz for the foreseeable future until Joseph Woll is back up to speed.
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