Anthony Stolarz is back.
The Maple Leafs goaltender will be in the crease on Thursday night in Seattle against the Kraken, marking his first game since a knee issue forced him out during a Dec. 12 home game against the Anaheim Ducks.
Following the Leafs’ morning skate at Climate Pledge Arena, Leafs coach Craig Berube confirmed to media in Seattle that Stolarz will start.
Berube also confirmed that star winger Mitch Marner will be in the lineup after he missed the Leafs’ 6-3 win in Calgary against the Flames on Tuesday night. Marner was dealing with a lower-body issue that caused him to miss a game for the first time in 2024-25.
Marner, who is fifth in National Hockey League scoring with 70 points in 52 games, wasn’t back on the top line with captain Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies at the morning skate.
Instead, Berube kept Max Domi on the right side with Matthews and Knies. Marner was on the second line with John Tavares in the middle and William Nylander, who was moved to the left side.
Max Pacioretty was moved the left side on the fourth line, while Ryan Reaves likely is the odd man out.
Thursday is eight weeks since Stolarz departed the game against the Ducks after the first period. On Dec. 18, he had a procedure done on his knee in New York to remove a pebble-sized loose body.
When we previously saw Stolarz, he was leading the NHL with a .927 save percentage in 17 games. A minimum of 18 games played is required today by the NHL to be counted among the leaders, so Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets, who has a .925 save percentage in 42 games, presently is atop the leaderboard.
Stolarz, in his first season with the Leafs after signing a two-year contract in free agency last summer, has a record of 9-5-2 and a 2.15 goals-against average.
In Stolarz’s absence, Joseph Woll compiled a record of 11-7-0 with a .902 save percentage and a 2.97 goals-against average in 18 games.
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