The Toronto Maple Leafs lost more than just the game tonight against the Boston Bruins. Unfortunately, they also lost their captain Auston Matthews and starting goalie Anthony Stolarz to injury.
Related: Pastrnak Scores Twice to Help Lead Bruins Over Maple Leafs 5-3
On top of that, they’re now on a three-game losing streak and look nothing like the team they were last season. Now, they’re going to have to navigate the injuries that have started to pile up. It’s like the old saying: when it rains, it pours.
Maple Leafs Bitten by the Injury Bug
Let’s start with Matthews. He was injured on a hard hit from Nikita Zadorov. The hit came from behind and he looked to slam into the boards, but he was too far away for it to be called boarding. Still, he was in a vulnerable position with his back to the play. Matthews got back up and tried to throw a hit at Zadorov, finished his shift, then went to the bench and straight to the dressing room.
After the game, head coach Craig Berube said he will be evaluated. He also shared his thoughts on the hit:
“I think it’s a penalty, personally, but I’m not the referee. I don’t like it. I don’t like the hit. He’s in a vulnerable position. So, whatever, nothing I can do about it.”
As for Stolarz, he left the game in the first period after being pulled. He allowed three goals on 11 shots and was chased from the game. However, after being pulled, he never returned to the bench. That sparked a lot of debate on social media and even from the broadcast team, who wondered where he went and why he wasn’t back. In the third period, the Maple Leafs announced he had an upper-body injury and wouldn’t return. After the game, Berube said it was just a tweak and he doesn’t believe it to be serious. If he does miss Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings, it’ll be interesting to see if Joseph Woll gets called up from his conditioning stint with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.
Now, as the Maple Leafs try to navigate this rough stretch, they’ll also need to figure out how to compete without their captain, who could miss time. This might open the door for a player like Easton Cowan to get called back up and show what he can do. First, though, we’ll have to see what happens over the next few days.
