Overview
- Head coach Jim Hiller confirmed Tuesday that Anthony Stolarz will start Toronto’s game against the Nashville Predators.
- Stolarz earned his first win of the season in a 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders on Wednesday, Sept. 30, making 26 saves and posting strong goals-saved-above-expected numbers.
- Reporters noted Sergei Bobrovsky skated in the optional session while Stolarz did not, and David Alter’s early observation matched Hiller’s later formal confirmation.
- Hiller said the club uses workloads and analytics to allocate starts and that goaltending coach Curtis Sanford is the point person managing that data.
- With the Leafs 1-2 to start the year, the choice gives Stolarz a short-term chance to build momentum and keeps competition for minutes open as the team monitors small early-season sample sizes.