Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll gets chance against Panthers amid concerns about Stolarz

TORONTO (AP) — Joseph Woll is back under the postseason spotlight, a place the Toronto Maple Leafs goalie has thrived in the past.

Woll was given the start for Game 2 of the team’s second-round Stanley Cup playoff series against Florida on Wednesday night and finished with 25 saves in the Maple Leafs’ 4-3 win for a 2-0 series lead.

The 26-year-old Woll entered the opener midway through the second period after starter Anthony Stolarz took an elbow to the head from former teammate Sam Bennett and wound up at the hospital. On Wednesday, Woll made his first start since April 17.

“It’s been something I’ve had to focus on and come up with a plan to stay ready,” Woll said. “It’s a different challenge than playing every night, but a challenge nonetheless.”

Woll, who entered with a .950 save percentage in his four previous playoff starts, also performed well when called upon in both the 2023 and 2024 postseasons because of injury.

“Calm and cool,” Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said. “On his toes and fighting through traffic. Very impressed.”

Veteran Matt Murray, who spent most of this season in the American Hockey League, served as Woll’s backup over Dennis Hildeby. The rookie was on the bench in the third period of Game 1.

“Experience, I think, more than anything,” Berube said of turning to Murray, a two-time Cup winner with the Pittsburgh Penguins. “He’s been there, done it.”

The Maple Leafs have not disclosed details of Stolarz’s injury, though Berube said the 31-year-old is “recovering” and “doing well.”

Chris Nowinski, chief executive officer of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, said he was concerned with how the situation was handled at Scotiabank Arena.

“Stolarz was hit in the head twice where he exhibited possible signs of concussion and neither time was he removed and assessed,” Nowinski told the Canadian Press. “I can’t remember the last time I saw a player vomiting on the ice, but it makes you very concerned about what was happening in his brain and whether (he) not only had a concussion, but a possible brain bleed.”

Stolarz’s mask came off in the first period of Toronto’s 5-4 victory when he stopped a shot by Sam Reinhart. Stolarz appeared to shake his head before putting the mask back on and resuming play. In the second period, he was elbowed in the head as Bennett skated through the crease. Stolarz immediately grabbed his head as he fell to the ice.

He later leaned over the boards and vomited into a bucket. He left the game midway through the period and was replaced by Woll.

According to the NHL/NHLPA’s concussion protocol, the identification and removal of a player is a club-level responsibility. The actual diagnosis and whether to play is up to the team doctor. League spotters also observe players’ behavior during games to help.

A Maple Leafs team spokesman said “spotters were not involved” in Stolarz’s departure from the game.

Nowinski said he was concerned about the head shake by Stolarz; he said research has shown many athletes who do that end up having a concussion.

“The fact that he was left out there (to) vomit in front of the entire world shows that the NHL was not conservative enough in their decision of how to execute their protocol,” he told CP.

Woll was solid off the bench and held off the Panthers late, stopping 17 of 20 shots as Florida rallied after trailing 4-1 through 40 minutes.

The Panthers got defenseman Aaron Ekblad back after he served a two-game suspension for a head shot on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel in the first round.

“I was aiming for his chest and I caught him in the chin,” Ekblad said in his first comments since the incident that knocked Hagel out of the series. “I’m never out to hurt anybody on the ice. It’s unfortunate the way that the outcome happened.”

The 29-year-old Ekblad was selected No. 1 overall at the 2014 draft had recently returned after getting suspended 20 games for violating league policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Ekblad returned for Game 3 of the Tampa series before the Hagel incident in Game 4.

“Whirlwind of a season,” he said. “It’s not the way I scripted it, but we’re here now.”

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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl