Stolarz, Woll help Leafs build momentum as stretch drive starts strong

The Maple Leafs travelled to Boston on Monday. The team will skate at TD Garden on Tuesday morning. 

Leafs goalie Joseph Woll grew up in the St. Louis area, so Sunday's first career start in nearby Chicago carried a little extra meaning. 

"It was pretty awesome," the 26-year-old said. "My parents were here and some family so I imagine it was pretty cool for them as well. They were longtime Blues fans and stuff. It was an awesome experience and especially the anthem was pretty sweet."

It's tradition in Chicago for fans to cheer loudly throughout the Star Spangled Banner, which caught Woll off guard. 

"I've never been to a game here," he told TSN. "Like, it's funny, when you back up you don't go on the bench so I'd never experienced the anthem. I didn't know they did that. I almost got chills. It's pretty cool."

Once the puck dropped, Woll looked sharp in his first game action in two weeks. He stopped 25 of 27 shots to earn his first ever win over the Blackhawks.

"Cool to beat them," he said. "Grew up cheering for the Blues a lot and against them so it was a pretty cool experience."

Woll's strong performance came one day after Anthony Stolarz made his own solid return from the 4 Nations Face-Off break by stopping 31 of 34 shots in a win over the Carolina Hurricanes. 

"I felt good," said Stolarz. "My body feels good. I was seeing the puck well. Just try to build it going forward, build a little momentum."

Stolarz returned from a knee injury in the penultimate game before the break so now Toronto's top-notch tandem is in tact and rolling.

"Yeah, it's great," said Woll before cracking a smile. "I missed him on the bench, though. He couldn't sit on the bench. The bench was too small. I have yet to get him on the bench [for a game]. Vancouver was the same thing."

The visitors bench in Vancouver where Woll played in Toronto's final game before the break also didn't have enough space for the back-up goalie.  

"I'm excited for when one day he's on the bench," a grinning Woll continued. "It's nice to have him there. He helps to keep the mood light. I appreciate having him around and he's great for the team as well."

"They have a great relationship," said winger Nick Robertson. "You know they are very supportive of each other whoever’s in net."

Goaltending is a big reason why the Leafs moved back into first place in the Atlantic Division on Sunday. Stolarz, who was a backup with the Florida Panthers last season, has been a revelation with a .928 save percentage in 19 starts, which leads the league (minimum 15 games). Woll, who began last season as Toronto's backup, owns a .910 save percentage in 31 games. Neither goalie has lost more than two games in a row this season. 

"They're outstanding," raved forward Max Domi. "Any given night you just trust them back there. It gives our team so much confidence. Yeah, they're both, game one and game two back front break, awesome." 

The Leafs have a very busy schedule with plenty of travel coming up. Saturday was the start of a stretch of nine games in eight cities over 17 days. 

"It's not easy to play a lot of games in this league as a goaltender especially," said defenceman Jake McCabe. "For them to be able to split the workload like they have been and stay as fresh as possible, it's been very important for us."

Woll's previous career high in terms of games played in the NHL was 25, which was set last season. Stolarz's previous career high in the NHL is 27 games, which he set last season. 

The Leafs are planning to divide the starts relatively evenly down the stretch. 

"It's a heavy schedule coming up," coach Craig Berube told TSN before Sunday's game. "We need both guys to play well and to play. They're both going to play. I said that right from the get go from the start of the year and we'll keep rolling it, and then we'll make decisions as it goes along." 

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Considering his St. Louis roots, Woll keeps a close eye on Blues goalie Jordan Binnington, who backstopped Canada to the title at the 4 Nations Face-Off. 

"He's a special goalie," Woll said. "He's proved it at the highest level winning a Stanley Cup and again now."

Woll was surprised that so many people questioned whether Binnington should even be in Canada's crease in the best-on-best event. 

"He deserves a lot of respect and maybe a bit more respect than he had going into that tournament," Woll said. "Every time I've played against him I'm in awe of how good of a goalie he is." 

Berube was behind the Blues bench when Binnington helped St. Louis win the 2019 Stanley Cup. 

"He is a clutch guy," Berube said. "It is the competitiveness and the effort he puts into it. Watching that [championship] game, he was highly competitive and there were a lot of effort saves. That is what he does. He finds a way. I thought he was outstanding playing the puck in that game. I have seen it before with him in the year he won and in the playoffs after that. Time and time again — again and again — he comes up big when you need him."

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Woll provided the saves and Toronto's third line of Domi between Robertson and Bobby McMann provided some offensive punch during Sunday's 5-2 win. 

Robertson snapped a nine-game goal drought in a big way. The winger scored twice with Domi assisting on both strikes. It was Domi's first multi-point game since Dec. 20. 

"They've had some good stretches earlier in the season too so it's nice to see them back together and playing well," said Woll. "It's a nice combination of players. Bobby is a good power forward, Robbie can rip the puck, and Domes always seems to find the open guy."

But it hasn't been a consistent grouping for the Leafs, who have been searching for third-line chemistry much of the year. 

With Max Pacioretty tweaking something last week and missing the weekend games, Berube made the decision to move Pontus Holmberg into the top six and shift Domi back to the middle of the third unit. The coach liked the results on Sunday. 

"Max was on pucks, making good plays with the puck," Berube said. "Robbie was driving the net and scored a nice goal. They got a power-play goal as well. Bobby was doing what he does. He skates, gets on top of people, and creates turnovers. That line was really good for us."

"Domes is a really good passer so you gotta be ready to shoot," Robertson said. "I think we complement our games well. We gotta play direct, fast, and be shooters. Domes has got a good shot. He's well-decorated as a passer but he has a good shot too."

Domi, who is mired in a 24-game goal drought, hit a post on Sunday and was credited with two shots on net. It was his first multi-shot game since Jan. 25. 

"The strength of the three of us is moving our feet and using our speed and staying close," Domi said. "When we do that the three of us complement [each other] pretty well."

"All making really good small-area plays, connected and it's good stuff," McCabe said. "Depth scoring is really important for us down the stretch here. Everyone's gotta contribute." 

Toronto's top six goal-scorers (William Nylander, John Tavares, Auston Matthews, McMann, Matthew Knies and Mitch Marner) have accounted for 72 per cent of the team's goals this season (130 of 180).

Robertson is seventh on the team with 10 goals. No one else has more than six. 

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While Robertson was scoring twice in the second period in Chicago, older brother Jason Robertson was producing a hat trick with the Stars during a second-period surge of his own against the New York Islanders. 

"It's exciting for my parents," Nick said. "They got double TVs so they're jumping off the couch five times. It's good to see him do well and it's nice to have a good game too."

Dad Hugh and mom Mercedes have multiple television sets in a room at their home so they can track both their sons on nights when their games overlap. 

"They got one on the left and one on the right side so they go back and forth a little bit," Nick said with a smile. 

The Robertson brothers became the first pair of siblings to score multiple goals on the same day in the NHL since Pavel Bure and Valeri Bure on March 1, 2000.

"I know my brother has been through a lot this year," Jason told the Stars broadcast on Sunday night. "I'm sure that's a shot of adrenaline, confidence, everything. It's great to see him get some success right now. I know he's worked hard, has been working hard to get his shot. I'm really happy for him and I'm sure my mom and dad are too."

Nick, who requested a trade in the summer, is still finding his way in the NHL. Sunday marked his 136th regular season game. 

Jason is an established star, but also a motivated one at the moment. He was among the top snubs by USA Hockey for the 4 Nations Face-Off team. 

"He wanted to be a part of it and I think it's his goal to look for next year," Nick said of the 2026 Olympics. "He's doing great right now and hopefully he keeps going." 

Nick came close to matching Jason with three goals on Sunday, but Blackhawks defenceman T.J. Brodie knocked one of his shots off the goal line. Nick has never recorded a hat trick in the NHL. 

"I was thinking about it," Nick said, "but another time hopefully." 

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McCabe and partner Chris Tanev get the toughest matchups for the Leafs every night. They are usually focused on preventing goals and not necessarily scoring them, but on Sunday night both McCabe and Tanev found the back of the net in Chicago. 

"It's always nice to contribute offensively," said McCabe, who was traded by the Blackhawks to the Leafs on Feb. 27, 2023. "Obviously when we hop over the boards our main objective is to keep the puck out of our net but any time you can put one in theirs it's a good feeling especially against the old squad."

It was McCabe's second goal of the season. It was also Tanev's second tally this year. They both picked up the primary assist on the other's goal.

"They played unreal," Domi gushed. "You see the give and goes all over the ice and even the neutral-zone transition game, they drive the bus back there, so it's nice to see them get rewarded on the sheet. They do so many good things that no one ever talks about. Everyone seems to just think about goals and whatnot but they do stuff that's way more important than that. For them to get that, it's great to see."

"It makes me really happy for them," Woll said. "They're unbelievable every night in front of me, and when they get buzzing offensively it's pretty awesome too." 

Tanev leads the team at plus-27 this season, which is eighth overall in the league. McCabe, who has missed nine games due to injury, is second on the Leafs at plus-20. 

"They defend well," Berube said. "They block shots and make simple plays with the puck. They are in good positions to be on the offensive side of things and be plus players. It starts in our end with those guys, with how hard they are to play against. They have such good chemistry together and are so connected with each other, making little plays and moving the puck well."

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Pontus Holmberg sealed the Leafs win on Sunday night with an empty-net goal, which the Blackhawks challenged. It looked like Nylander was still in the zone when Tavares carried the puck in. 

The officials ruled that it wasn't offsides, because Tavares didn't touch the puck until Nylander tagged up. After the call, Nylander was spotted on the bench expressing surprise in the ruling, but Leafs video coordinator and statistical analyst Jordan Bean had already alerted Berube that the goal was likely to stand. 

"As it was going along, he kept saying that it was looking like it was a goal," Berube said. "And then he was clear on it before the decision was made that it was a good goal. We were fortunate there to get that one."

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Leafs lines in Sunday's game in Chicago: 

Knies - Matthews - Marner
Holmberg - Tavares - Nylander
McMann - Domi - Robertson
Lorentz - Kampf - Steeves

Rielly - Ekman-Larsson 
McCabe - Tanev
Benoit - Timmins

Woll started
Stolarz