Nylander Shines as Leafs Edge Panthers in Game 1, Stolarz Exits After Scary Hit

Summary:

• William Nylander made his mark with two goals and an assist in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 5-4 Game 1 win over the Florida Panthers.
• Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz left the game after taking an elbow to the head from Sam Bennett, raising concerns.
• Joseph Woll stepped in to secure the win as Florida nearly completed a late comeback.

The Toronto Maple Leafs who needed Game 6 against the Senators to qualify came out firing in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series, where William Nylander was front and center.

The winger wasted no time making his mark, scoring twice in the opening frame and later adding an assist, helping Toronto storm to an early lead in what turned into a nail-biting 5-4 win over the Florida Panthers on Monday night. 

Stolarz, Forced to Leave the Game Amid Injury

Despite the victory, concern quickly shifted to goaltender Anthony Stolarz, who was forced to leave the game after taking an elbow to the head from Florida’s Sam Bennett, a hit that went uncalled by officials.

Leafs coach Craig Berube,

Elbow to the head, Clear as day. I get it, they miss calls. But it’s clearly a penalty.

The collision happened during a penalty kill with Toronto up 4-1. Stolarz stayed in the game briefly, but TV cameras later showed him throwing up on the bench during a timeout. 

He was removed soon after, and no further update was provided beyond the fact that he was being evaluated.

Update: Anthony Stolarz likely suffered a first #comcussion 5 minutes into the game when he took a puck to face that knocked his mask off.
25 seconds after the hit he did a SHAAKE (Spontaneous Headshake after a Kinematic Event) which predicts concussion 72% of the time. https://t.co/HfiBmJSnKV pic.twitter.com/M8DFcAtWyB

— Chris Nowinski, Ph.D. (@ChrisNowinski1) May 6, 2025

Florida head coach Paul Maurice, who coached Stolarz last season, acknowledged the incident:

He saw it (the refeeree), I’m hopeful for Anthony and his health. We love that guy, and we hope he gets better real fast.

Knies, Tanev, and Rielly Also Scored

Despite the drama, the Leafs got big contributions all over the ice. Nylander’s fast start was backed up by Matthew Knies and Chris Tanev, who each had a goal and an assist, while Morgan Rielly also found the back of the net. 

Toronto got on the board just 33 seconds in thanks to Nylander’s quick strike, and he added another midway through the period with a slick deke and top-shelf finish. 

Rielly made it 3-1 shortly after Florida’s first goal, and Tanev stretched the lead to 4-1 early in the second.

Though Florida made a strong push in the third, narrowing the deficit to one in the final two minutes, Knies’ breakaway goal proved to be the difference. 

After Stolarz exited with eight saves, Joseph Woll came in and stopped 17 shots to help preserve the win.

Florida clawed back with goals from Bennett, Seth Jones, Eetu Luostarinen, and Uvis Balinskis, while Sergei Bobrovsky made 24 saves. 

Nylander explained.

We’ve been in tight games throughout the season. We dug into that and tried to bear down.

Captain Aleksander Barkov kept things in perspective:

There’s no surprises here. They came out a little better than us. But we did some good things.

Still, the Leafs’ focus now shifts to Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the uncertain status of their starting goalie.