Anthony Stolarz injury: Maple Leafs goalie comes clean on concussion diagnosis following Sam Bennett hit

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz has confirmed that he suffered a concussion in Game 1 of the Leafs' second-round series against the Florida Panthers. Stolarz said the injury did not come from the puck that hit his mask earlier in the game. Instead, he believes it happened after Florida forward Sam Bennett skated past him, and his elbow made contact with his head.

Later, the 31-year-old was spotted puking near the Leafs' bench. Stolarz explained that he felt fine until the hit from Bennett.

“He just caught me in a bad spot,” he said.

Stolarz added that he did not believe there was any bad intent behind the hit from his former teammate. The NHL Player Safety did not penalize Bennett for the play, and he also avoided suspension.

After the collision, Stolarz left the game, and he did not return that day. He was taken to the hospital, and he did not play for the rest of the series. The Leafs star had started seven playoff games before the injury. He posted a .901 save percentage and a 2.19 goals-against average.

With Stolarz sidelined, Joseph Woll took over as the starting goalie from Game 2. But Woll struggled in the series against the Panthers and finished with an .886 save percentage and a 3.56 goals-against average. The team was unable to recover after losing Stolarz and lost the series to Panthers.

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Maple Leafs lost 6-1 to Panthers in Game 7

Toronto Maple Leafs exited the playoffs after their 6-1 loss to Florida Panthers in Game 7 at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday. The Panthers took control in the second period and outshot the Leafs 18-5. Toronto struggled to respond and couldn’t match Florida’s pace or pressure.

After the game, Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said that his team didn’t show enough desperation.

“They were the better team tonight, more aggressive and desperate,” he said via NHL.com.

Seth Jones opened the scoring at 3:15 of the second period. Four minutes later, Anton Lundell made it 2-0 by scoring on a rebound in front of the net. Jonah Gadjovich then scored the third goal for the Panthers at 9:39.

Max Domi gave the Leafs some brief relief early in the third period after scoring a goal to make it 3-1. But Panthers were in complete control and scored three more goals via Eetu Luostarinen, Sam Reinhart and Brad Marchand to seal the win.