Anthony Stolarz gets the nod in goal for the Leafs on Saturday night in Edmonton, with coach Jim Hiller making the call ahead of a matchup against an Oilers team that has opened the season on a tear.
When asked why Toronto is going with its backup against the “red-hot Oilers,” Hiller didn’t offer much beyond the decision itself.
“Just a decision, yeah,” is all Hiller would say.
That means Sergei Bobrobsky will serve as the backup after playing Thursday against the New York Rangers, when he gave up four goals on 25 shots in Toronto’s win. It was his roughest outing by save percentage with the Leafs so far, as he sat at .840 through eight starts. Bobrovsky also missed Friday’s practice, though Hiller said it was simply a scheduled day off for the 38-year-old.
Stolarz comes in after turning aside 36 of 38 shots in a win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. That was a solid response after he allowed five goals on 28 shots in his previous start in Utah.
“You guys made a bigger deal out of it than we did,” Hiller said. “It’s a long season and you’re going to have some ups and downs.
I thought he was really good in Columbus, though, and gave us a great game despite the score (6-2). We got up early and they pushed a little bit late.
He was good. We got a lot of belief in both those two goaltenders and glad we have them as a tandem.”
On the season, Stolarz is 3-1-0 with an .898 save percentage. Bobrovsky is 3-3-2 with an .895 save percentage.
The timing isn’t ideal for Toronto, which is about to run into an Edmonton club sitting at 8-1-1. Saturday kicks off a four-game trip that also takes the Leafs to Calgary, Seattle and Vancouver.
Connor McDavid has been the engine behind the Oilers’ hot start, piling up 31 points in 10 games under new head coach Mike Babcock. Hiller said Edmonton looks different, but not in a way that jumps off the page.
“I don’t know if I see anything different,” Hiller said. “I see a little bit different style of play.
I guess the other thing I would say is they’re probably a little fresher than they’ve been in past regular seasons based on the long playoff runs [in 2024 and 2025]. They’ve certainly got their legs, and they’ve been tough to stop.”
McDavid has scored three goals in five career games against Stolarz, who spent six games with Edmonton during the 2018-19 season. Stolarz also beat the Oilers in Edmonton last season and was sharp in that one.
Toronto will also need to navigate the game without some help on the back end. With injuries piling up on defence, Dakota Mermis is set to make his season debut and slot in on the third pair next to Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
“We have played a little bit before, so I know him well and obviously a good player,” Ekman-Larsson said. “You know what you’re getting.
He’s a hard-working defenceman and makes that first pass easy and quick. So, I like his game.”
Projected Leafs lineup:
Cowan - Matthews - Roslovic
Marchenko - Paul - Nylander
McKenna - Sissons - Lettieri
Duhaime - Blueger - MacEwan
McCabe - Raddysh
Rielly - Stecher
Mermis - Ekman-Larsson
Stolarz starts
Bobrovsky
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