Florida Panthers’ Domination Leaves Maple Leafs’ Fans Divided Over Anthony Stolarz’s Possible Return From Scary Injury: “Too Soon”

“Elbow to the head. Clearly. Clear. Clear as day… I get it, they miss calls. But it’s clearly a penalty.” That was the raw, no-filter reaction from the Maple Leafs’ coach after Anthony Stolarz took a gnarly hit in Game 1 against the Panthers. And honestly? That moment kinda set the tone. The Leafs haven’t really looked like the Leafs since. That hit didn’t just knock Stolarz, it knocked the team off balance, sent a little chaos rippling through the locker room. Fast forward to Game 3, and Brad Marchand came through like a wrecking ball in OT, sliding in that soul-snatching goal at 15:27 to give Florida the 5-4 dub.

Then Game 4 rolled around, and it didn’t get prettier. Sergei Bobrovsky threw up a wall, swatting away every Toronto shot like he was swiping left on all their hopes, 23 saves, zero goals, full heartbreak. But now, a flicker of hope is peeking through as the Florida Panthers’ takeover has Leafs Nation split, some holding their breath, others crossing fingers, over whether Anthony Stolarz might just bounce back from that brutal hit and step back onto the ice.

“Anthony Stolarz is on the ice ahead of #leafs practice,” NHL insider Chris Johnston casually dropped that little bomb on X, and let’s just say Leafs fans did not hold back. With Game 5 right around the corner at Scotiabank Arena on May 14, the timing of Stolarz’s return had folks double-taking and meme-ing like wildfire. One fan threw shade with, “@NHLPlayerSafety gotta investigate this. Isn’t it too soon to come back from a concussion . Leafs desperate,” because of course, nothing fires up hockey Twitter quite like a mysterious injury comeback.

Anthony Stolarz is on the ice ahead of #leafs practice. pic.twitter.com/X2lXZoJGPV

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 13, 2025

Now if we rewind the tape, Anthony Stolarz had a pretty chaotic night back in Game 1. First, he took a wicked shot right to the chin off Sam Reinhart in the opening period, talk about unlucky. And then, because the hockey gods weren’t done yet, Sam Bennett came crashing through during a power play and clipped him again. Stolarz tried to tough it out like the warrior he is, stuck it out for a few more shifts… until reality hit during a TV timeout, and the dude legit got sick on the bench. That’s when they rushed him off to the hospital for a closer look.

Thankfully, it wasn’t long before he was back in the mix. He got cleared, left the hospital, and even popped back up at the Leafs’ practice facility the very next day like it was nothing. Now with Anthony Stolarz skating again just ahead of Game 5, fans are caught between jaw drops and side-eyes. Whether he’s actually ready to go or the Leafs are just throwing Hail Marys at this point. But that was just the beginning!

Anthony Stolarz’s possible comeback leaves fans in splits!

This story is developing…

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