NHL analyst speculates Maple Leafs' retribution on Sam Bennett for Anthony Stolarz check 

The Toronto Maple Leafs are angry about what happened to Anthony Stolarz in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series against the Florida Panthers. Sam Bennett’s hit was not punished, and fans in Toronto are still upset. Some people want the Leafs to go after Bennett in Game 2.

TSN analyst Frankie Corrado said he’s not surprised there was no suspension, adding that the hit should have been a minor penalty, but nothing more.

"All right, let's start with part one," Corrado said on "SportsCenter". "No, I'm not surprised that there's no supplemental discipline for the play. I understand that everyone's concerned for Anthony Stolarz's injury, and these are things that should face some kind of penalty. But the penalty should have been two minutes for goaltender interference, and that doesn't get called.

"But if you look at the play itself — and everyone's talked about this a million times now — it’s not a play that would go to the Department of Player Safety and say this is a suspension," he added.

Corrado said the Leafs can respond, but only if they stay disciplined. If someone wants to challenge Sam Bennett, he said that’s fine – but not if it costs the team.

"Now, the outcome is bad for Anthony Stolarz, and that leads to our second point—like, is there going to be some kind of retribution by Toronto," Corrado said. "... Why not? ... If someone wants to go out there and challenge Sam Bennett, he's a big boy. He's going to see it before. He hits guys, he hits people in the head, he should take that challenge.

"But at the same time, it can't be something retaliatory in nature that's going to put your team at a disadvantage... Whatever the case may be, do it within the parameter of the game..."

(from 0:18 mark onwards)

Stolarz left the game after feeling sick and was taken to the hospital. He’s back with the team now and doing better. So far, Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube hasn't provided any update yet on whether Stolarz can play in Game 2. But Berube has made it clear that he doesn’t want the team to focus on revenge. He wants his players to be smart, not emotional, and stay focused on winning the series.

Sam Bennett's comments on Anthony Stolarz getting injured

Sam Bennett said he didn’t mean to hurt Anthony Stolarz. He reached out to him and said they were still friends. But Leafs fans haven’t forgotten a past incident from 2023 when Bennett injured Matthew Knies. That makes emotions in Toronto even higher now.

"Obviously I heard he went to the hospital last night," Bennett said Tuesday via NHL.com. "Stolie’s a good friend of mine. I reached out to him and he responded. Obviously never want to see an injury like that. From my point of view, I was just taking the puck to the net. I didn’t even know we’d made contact until after... (I was just) trying to score. That’s really all there is to it.”

The Leafs won Game 1, but the injury to Stolarz has become the main story. Some fans want retribution, but players and coaches know that smart hockey wins games. If the Leafs go after Bennett, they must do it without taking bad penalties or losing focus. Game 2 will show how the Maple Leafs choose to handle it.