A welcome sight for the Maple Leafs at Friday鈥檚 noon practice: Anthony Stolarz in the crease for the opening throes of the skate.
It鈥檚 the first time the 海角社区官网goaltender has partaken in a practice since an injury forced him out of a Dec. 12 game against the Anaheim Ducks. Stolarz underwent surgery Dec. 18 to remove a pebble from his knee, and he鈥檚 been on the rehab trail ever since. The absence has been palpable. When he went down, the Leafs ranked third with a save percentage of .912. Over the 20 games since he left the rotation, they rank 25th with an .883 mark.
If it鈥檚 been a considerable drop-off with Joseph Woll taking on a career-high workload by grabbing 14 of those starts, this while registering a ho-hum .898 save percentage, Friday brought optimism that Stolarz鈥檚 return might come soon.
“He’s in a good spot right now, probably maybe a little ahead of schedule,鈥 coach Craig Berube said. 鈥淚’m not sure exactly on that. I don’t think it’s going to be a whole lot longer.”
The current No. 1 will set a career high for appearances in a season with his next game.
The current No. 1 will set a career high for appearances in a season with his next game.
The 鈥渁head of schedule鈥 part remains to be seen. When Stolarz had surgery, the Leafs said he鈥檇 be out 鈥渇our to six weeks.鈥 Wednesday鈥檚 home game against the Minnesota Wild coincides with the six-week mark. It鈥檚 expected Woll will be the starter in the only game between now and then: Saturday鈥檚 tilt in Kanata against the goal-starved Senators. They have been shut out in three of their most recent five games, but the lack of scoring punch runs deeper. Going back to Nov. 1, the Senators rank dead last in goals per game.
With all that said, in their only previous meeting this season it was the Senators who did the shutting out, beating 海角社区官网3-0. So, Berube used Friday to sound a warning.
鈥淭hey took advantage of us last time,鈥 Berube said of the Senators. 鈥淲e have to be emotionally invested.鈥
If recent history has taught the Leafs anything, it鈥檚 that maybe it鈥檚 never a bad idea to invest in goaltending depth. A season in which both Stolarz and Woll have spent time sidelined by injury has only underlined the toll the modern game takes on goaltenders. Which is why Matt Murray made his return to Leafs practice Friday after spending most of Thursday night on a plane from San Francisco, where he鈥檇 been on a road trip with the AHL Marlies. Dennis Hildeby, whose .872 NHL save percentage in six appearances suggests more time in the minors is required, was sent down to make room.
Depending on the health of Toronto鈥檚 top goalies, it’s possible Murray, the 30-year-old two-time Stanley Cup champion, will get another chance to restart his NHL career after a long rehab from 2023 double hip surgery.
Said Murray on Friday: “I feel like I’m 21 again, trying to break into the league again, so it’s kind of fun.”
The Leafs, after losing three straight, fired off three consecutive victories and are one of the NHL’s hottest teams, winning eight of their last 11.
The Leafs, after losing three straight, fired off three consecutive victories and are one of the NHL’s hottest teams, winning eight of their last 11.
Murray鈥檚 numbers in the minors have been impressive, with a .. But as he was saying Friday, the jump from the AHL to the NHL is no small step, thanks mostly to the presence of more elite stick skills in the world鈥檚 best league.
鈥淵ou just get away with more in the American league that you probably wouldn’t get away with in the NHL, mostly with tips and traffic and screens and stuff like that,鈥 Murray said.
As for the problem of diminishing durability in the goaltending community, Murray shook his head as he attempted to explain why the guys wearing the most padding are sometimes bubble-wrapped by their teams, with Woll, as one example, frequently skipping practice and forgoing starts even after a day of rest. It was less than 20 years ago that Martin Brodeur won his third and fourth of four Vezina trophies playing 78 and 77 games in back-to-back seasons. Now, it’s easy to get the idea that a goaltender on pace for 50 starts is pushing the boundaries of masked endurance. The factors are myriad: the game is faster, the shooters are better and the goalies are bigger, which leads to more strain on joints.
鈥淎nd there’s no standing up anymore,鈥 Murray said, referring to the hybrid style that saw Brodeur stay on his feet more often than today鈥檚 standard. 鈥淎nd every time you go down, especially for a bigger guy, your knees, your ankles, your hips聽鈥 it all takes a beating over the course of the season.鈥
Murray said Toronto鈥檚 sports science department tracks the 鈥渄own count鈥 of goaltenders聽鈥 the number of times they drop to their knees in a game or practice聽鈥 among many other metrics. Coming off major surgery, Murray is perhaps more attuned than most to the delicate dance required to stay in a lineup.
鈥淵ou’re never going to see a guy who plays 78 games,鈥 Murray said. 鈥淣ow you’d have to not have a single practice to even think about 78 games. All the back-to-backs and the travel and stuff. I think it’s just, the game is so demanding now.鈥
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