Maple Leafs beat Ducks 3-2, lose goalie Stolarz to injury

Anthony Stolarz became the latest significant Toronto Maple Leafs player to suffer an injury with the NHL season just shy of the one-third mark.

Stolarz departed with a lower-body injury after the first period of a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday. Max Pacioretty led the way for Toronto with two goals and an assist.

“We’ll know more tomorrow,” Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said when asked about the severity of his goaltender’s injury. “I didn’t see what happened.”

Stolarz shook out his right leg after Frank Vatrano fired a swift-release shot from the sideboards for an Anaheim power-play goal late in the first period. 

Stolarz was coming off a magnificent 38-save outing in a 2-1 overtime win in New Jersey against the Devils on Tuesday.

He informed Berube in the first intermission that he couldn’t finish the game. Joseph Woll came on in relief and made 19 saves.

The Maple Leafs outshot their opponents 33-28 with Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal keeping his team in the game with 30 saves. Stolarz let Woll know during the intermission to be ready.

“It’s kind of mixed emotions,” Woll said. “You’re obviously sad for him. I don’t want him to get hurt and whatnot. At the same time, I have a job to do. Hopefully, it’s not too bad.”

Stolarz joins a long list of Maple Leafs who have missed time this season. Woll, captain Auston Matthews, Pacioretty and Jake McCabe are some of the notable Toronto players who have spent time on the shelf.

McCabe returned on Thursday from a five-game absence after taking a puck to the side of the head. Pacioretty played in his third outing after a 10-game layoff with a hamstring injury.

Pacioretty’s second goal, a redirect off a point shot from Conor Timmins, gave Toronto a 3-1 advantage midway through the second period and proved to be the game-winner. 

With the line of Pacioretty, William Nylander and John Tavares buzzing early in the third period, Pacioretty missed a chance for a third goal when he flubbed a one-time attempt before 18,688 at Scotiabank Arena.

He also missed the net after cruising in from the off-wing on the next shift.

The Maple Leafs (18-9-2) won their second straight game while the Ducks (10-14-4) dropped their fifth in a row and third since acquiring veteran defenceman Jacob Trouba in a trade with the New York Rangers on Dec. 6.

The Ducks fell behind 2-0 on a skilled goal from Nylander in the opening period before Vatrano’s power-play goal with 4:04 remaining.

Pacioretty scored at 12:54 of the second period but Jackson LaCombe quickly replied with a high-slot shot through a crowd in front.

Tavares assisted on both Pacioretty goals. On the first one, Tavares made a nifty backhand pass between his legs to Pacioretty in close.

A surprise addition to the Anaheim lineup was forward Robby Fabbri. The Mississauga, Ont., native underwent his fifth knee surgery on Nov. 15 and was expected to miss six to eight weeks, but he returned after less than four weeks.

The Ducks announced earlier Thursday that forward Trevor Zegras will miss six weeks after he underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.