TORONTO -- Anthony Stolarz left midway through the second period for the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 5-4 win against the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Second Round at Scotiabank Arena on Monday.
Stolarz stopped eight of the nine shots he faced before leaving the game at 10:14 of the second. He was replaced by Joseph Woll, who made 17 saves in his first appearance since April 17.
Prior to his departure, Stolarz had his mask dislodged from his head on two separate occasions.
The first came at 5:08 of the first period when a shot from Panthers forward Sam Reinhart struck him high up. Play was stopped immediately while Stolarz adjusted the straps on his mask.
The second occurred at 7:16 of the second when the arm of Panthers forward Sam Bennett made contact with Stolarz’s head during a scramble in front of the net.
During the next television time out, Stolarz was seen throwing up at Toronto's bench. It was at that point that the Maple Leafs made the goaltending switch.
Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said after the game that Stolarz still was being evaluated. Game 2 of the best-of-7 series will be here Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN).
“It’s tough to see. You never want to see a teammate not feeling well like that," Woll said.
Stolarz, who backed up Sergei Bobrovsky during the Panthers' run to the Stanley Cup last season, has started all seven games for the Maple Leafs this postseason. He went 4-2 with a 2.21 goals-against average and .901 save percentage against the Ottawa Senators in the Eastern Conference First Round.
“He’s been our rock all year. I can’t say enough about him," Maple Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev said.
Woll was 27-14-1 with a 2.73 GAA, .909 save percentage and one shutout in 42 games (41 starts) during the regular season. He is 4-2 with a 2.12 GAA and .924 save percentage in eight career playoff games (four starts).
“You kind of feel a mix of things, between concern for him and getting ready to play yourself,” Woll said. “I mean, when you see your teammate go down like that, I mean, it’s not good when you see him go down on the ice. Or when he’s not feeling good coming to the bench.
“You know, these guys are trying to create a family atmosphere here in [the dressing room]. So it’s just like one of my family members.”
