Leafs' Stolarz brings lessons from Bobrovsky into first playoff start

Anthony Stolarz will make his first ever Stanley Cup playoff start on Sunday night when he leads the Leafs onto the ice for Game 1 of their first round series against the Ottawa Senators. 

"At the end of the day it’s the same game," the 31-year-old goalie said. "We played 82 of them this year. We’ve been playing our whole lives. You just want to go out there and enjoy the moment."

Stolarz made one 35-minute relief appearance with the Florida Panthers during last year's run to the Stanley Cup, which represents the entirety of his post-season game experience in the NHL. But Stolarz learned a lot from seeing how Panthers starter Sergei Bobrovsky managed the playoff pressure, including before Game 7 of the final against the Edmonton Oilers. 

"It was kind of another day for Bobby," Stolarz recalled. "Nothing changed. He had the same routine. We still talked. We still did our little routines in the morning and before the game. That was the biggest thing. You couldn’t really tell if it was a pre-season game or Game 7, his demeanour was the same."

"He didn't start, but he has experience of being there and seeing it," Leafs coach Craig Berube said of Stolarz. "He's been around for quite some time now."

Now in his eighth NHL season, Stolarz believes he has the right demeanour to handle the heat in Toronto this spring. His long journey to this point has provided valuable perspective. 

"It’s just the ups and downs I’ve had during my career," he said. "Just going through a lot. I had a couple knee surgeries, so I just think I’m just grateful every time I go out there. Just go out there and have some fun."

Stolarz had plenty of fun this season as he posted a .926 save percentage to lead the NHL. 

"He’s one of those guys that likes to keep it light in the room and that benefits his game," said defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who played with Stolarz last season in Florida. "That’s how he goes. Not saying that he’s [not] serious, but that’s the way he approaches things and that helps him be the best version of himself."  

As the Leafs chased an Atlantic Division crown down the stretch, Stolarz was excellent, winning his last eight starts with a .950 save percentage. He earned the No. 1 job over Joseph Woll, who appeared in seven playoff games with the Leafs over the last two seasons. 

Stolarz missed time from December to February following knee surgery, but still started a career high 33 games. After returning from injury, he never started more than two games in a row. 

The Leafs and Senators are now set to play four games in seven days to open their series. Is Stolarz ready for the grind of playoff hockey? 

"It’s what you train for in the summers and all the workouts and treatments you get during the season," he said. "My body feels good."

Stolarz waited a long time for this chance. It's a big reason why he signed a two-year deal with Toronto in the summer. 

"It's exciting for sure," he said. "I think all the hard work that we've put in this season is kind of leading up to tomorrow. The whole team's champing at the bit to get going here."

The Senators will be starting Linus Ullmark in Game 1. He's a Vezina Trophy winner but, like Stolarz, has never backstopped a team to a series win. The 31-year-old Swede has played in 10 postseason games, but won just three while posting an .887 save percentage. He lost his only playoff start against the Leafs last year when he was with the Boston Bruins. 

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Jake McCabe skated in his regular spot beside Chris Tanev on Toronto's shutdown pair at practice and afterwards confirmed he will play in Game 1 on Sunday. 

"Yeah, pumped," McCabe said. "Ready to rock."

The hard-nosed defencemen missed the final seven games of the regular season after sustaining an upper-body injury at the end of a game against the Panthers on April 2. 

What impact will the layoff have on McCabe? 

"Fresher legs," the 31-year-old from Wisconsin said succinctly. 

The outlook is less clear for Ekman-Larsson, who also returned to practice on Saturday after missing the end of the regular season due to an upper-body injury. The 33-year-old defenceman skated in his regular spot on the third pair beside Simon Benoit and also took reps with the second power-play unit. 

"It felt good the last couple days, so we'll see tomorrow," Ekman-Larsson said. 

Berube highlighted Ekman-Larsson's ability to play through pain earlier in the week. 

"He said that?" Ekman-Larsson asked with a smile when informed of his coach's praise. "Nice, I'll take it."

Ekman-Larsson got hurt on April 9 after missing on an overtime breakaway and falling awkwardly during a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

"I should have probably dumped it," he said with a grin and a grimace. "Probably would’ve been a better outcome. I was trying to score, obviously. I went down, but it’s history now."

McCabe, who is on the team's top penalty-kill unit, led the Leafs in average ice time this season (21:31). Ekman-Larsson was fourth in that category (21:04). 

"They've been obviously very good D for us this year," said Berube. "Both good defenders, penalty kill, power play. They touch all the situations that are needed and, you know, good experience."

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The Leafs believe experience will give them an edge in this series. Only eight Senators have suited up in the playoffs before. 

"I think it matters," said Ekman-Larsson, who has played in 49 postseason games. "It's good to know what you're getting yourself into. You got to be able to adapt. It's going to be ups and downs in the series, and it's the team that kind of handles that the best that comes out of it usually."

"It’s important," said McCabe, who made his playoff debut with the Leafs in 2023. "I learned, certainly, a lot in my first go around. There’s lots of ups and downs throughout the series and you just gotta stay levelheaded. Obviously very emotional games, very physical games, competitive, so just manage those emotions and stay disciplined."

Only one Maple Leaf player, left winger Bobby McMann, will be making his playoff debut in Game 1. McMann missed last year's series against the Boston Bruins due to a knee injury. 

Toronto's core players can relate to what the Senators are facing in this series. When Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and Morgan Rielly made their playoff debuts in 2017, it came against a Washington Capitals crew with plenty of playoff experience. 

"Obviously on one side you just got so much excitement to finally be there and finally do it," said Marner. 

Marner scored in the first period of Game 1 against the Capitals, but Washington rallied to win the opener in overtime and eventually took the series in six games. Every game was decided by one goal with five going to overtime. 

"Washington was just so calm and steady," Marner recalled. "Obviously, there were a lot of veterans on their team who knew what they were doing. So, yeah, we've got to make sure we do that. Just have the same excitement and, you know, same will."

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The Leafs have more experience than the Senators, but not all that experience is positive. Toronto has won just one series out of the nine contested since 2017. 

After Toronto finished first in the Atlantic Division for the first time, expectations are sky high around the city. 

"I don't think we're caring about any of that," said Marner, who's in the final year of his contract. "We're focused as a team in here. We're not focused on anything outside or what people are saying."

Asked for his main takeaway from his first season in Toronto, Berube pointed out there's a lot of chatter around his team. 

"There's a lot of noise," the coach said. "Got to quiet the noise."

Easier said than done at times.  

"Well, it's always a challenge, right," Berube acknowledged. "There's a lot in Toronto, for sure. We understand all that."

So, what's the key? 

"I don't know," Berube said. "That's a good question."

The 59-year-old paused and smiled.  

"I mean, don't turn your phone on. Don't turn the TV on. You got to handle it and deal with it."

The advice from the coach?  

"Go out [and] compete. Compete your ass off and play as hard as you can," Berube said. "And, you know, good things happen. You can control those things. You can control your effort and your competitiveness and doing what's best for the team. That's controllable things, and that's very important."

And if things are going well on the ice, the noise in the city may actually be beneficial. 

"There’s certainly a buzz around the city," McCabe said of playoff time. "I feel it walking my kids around the block and seeing my neighbourhood, seeing a lot of Leafs flags. The weather’s changing too so you can enjoy the outside a little bit longer ... I’m looking forward to that, the weather changing and getting outside with the kids and seeing the fans out in the neighbourhood and interacting with people around town. It’s always nice to hear ‘Good luck’ and ‘Go Leafs Go!’"

Of course, Maple Leaf Square will be packed with fans for all the games. It may make for congested roads on the way to the game, but the support is very much appreciated. 

"It's definitely a different buzz to it for sure," said Matthews. "The weather starts to kind of warm up a little bit, a lot more people outside, the traffic gets worse (smile), and yeah, there's definitely a different buzz to it. It's always exciting."

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The Leafs are looking to carry the momentum from how they ended the regular season into the playoffs. Toronto went 13-2-1 after St. Patrick's Day. 

And, based on practice, Berube looks set to stick with the same forward lines that he ended the regular season with. 

"I think they've earned that and played extremely well down the stretch here," said Berube. "But we'll see tomorrow."

The coach prefers not to confirm his lineup until game day. But, at Saturday's practice, Max Domi remained with John Tavares and Nylander on the second line. Pontus Holmberg continued to skate as the third-line centre between McMann and Nick Robertson. And Scott Laughton remained between Steven Lorentz and Calle Jarnkrok on the fourth line. 

Berube confirmed that left winger Max Pacioretty, out since Feb. 8 with an undisclosed injury, and centre David Kampf, sidelined since April 2 with an upper-body injury, are now available to play. But for now it looks like they will have to wait for their chance.

"I like the way our team played down the stretch here," Berube said. "So right now, in my head, I'm thinking of keeping it the same."

Robertson, who was a healthy scratch in three games before the Kampf injury, appears to have earned a spot in the Game 1 lineup. He scored three times in the final seven games and finished seventh on the team with 15 goals. 

"Obviously he scored some goals," Berube said. "But, you know, it's his work ethic and his competitiveness that really stuck out to me."

Ryan Reaves, who was called up from the American Hockey League on Friday, was the other extra forward at practice. 

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The Senators led the NHL in drawn penalties (349) and power-play opportunities (269) this season. 

"We discussed it," Berube said. "[Tim] Stutzle's one that draws a lot of penalties. We looked at a lot of that and talked about it. We got to be disciplined, but you can't be tentative either. We got to play physical, got to be aggressive and deal with what we've got to deal with."

Stutzle drew 38 penalties this season, which was tied with Calgary's Nazem Kadri for most in the league. 

Toronto finished minus-17 in penalty differential this season, which was tied for 23rd in the league. The Senators finished second at plus-21. 

"Try to stay to the box as much as possible," Marner said when asked about the key for the penalty kill in the series. "They've got a good power play over there that, you know, makes plays, get pucks around the net. Big guys that kind of make those little quick plays to one another and can find backdoor plays. So just make sure we're communicating out there, talking a lot, trying to get shared clears as much as we can, trying to get down-ice pressure, and try to limit those plays backdoor and down low."

The Senators power play ranked 11^th this season clicking at 23.8 per cent. The Leafs penalty kill sagged down the stretch finishing 17^th overall at 77.9 per cent. Since Jan. 13, the Leafs have killed off only 70.3 per cent of opponent power plays, which ranks 31st in the NHL. 

So, discipline is a big talking behind inside the Leafs room. 

"It's the stick work and getting on the wrong side of people and things like that that a lot of times causes you to take penalties," Berube said. "So we got to be disciplined, we got to be smart and play hard between the whistles."

Easier said than done when you have a guy like Brady Tkachuk on the other side. The Senators captain ranked fourth overall with 35 penalties drawn this season. 

"He's good at disrupting things out there," said Berube. "That's just part of his game. He's got a lot of gamesmanship. You got to play him hard. Yeah, we understand that. But you got to be disciplined and not react to some of this stuff. And he's at the net a lot too, so I think there's a lot of penalties drawn there. He does a great job at the net front so we got to make sure we're strong there with that."

Tkachuk is making his playoff debut, but already showed he could elevate in big moments at the 4 Nations Face-Off where he scored three goals in four games with Team USA. 

"He's a competitor," said Matthews, who captained Team USA to the silver medal. "He's going to do whatever it takes. And, you know, physically he's going to be around the net."

Tkachuk led the Senators with 228 hits. No Leafs forward hit the 200-mark in that category. 

"He’s a load, right," said McCabe. "He’s a big guy [6-foot-4, 225 pounds]. He’s strong. He’s powerful. He’s heavy. He loves to get in on the forecheck, loves living around the net so you gotta get into him early and just be aware of where he is and try and get those box outs and solve their forecheck." 

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Lines at Saturday's practice: 

Knies - Matthews - Marner
Domi - Tavares - Nylander
McMann - Holmberg - Robertson
Lorentz - Laughton - Jarnkrok
Pacioretty - Kampf - Reaves

McCabe - Tanev
Rielly - Carlo
Benoit - Ekman-Larsson
Mermis - Myers

Stolarz
Woll

Power play units at Saturday's practice: 

QB: Marner
Flanks: Matthews, Nylander
Middle: Tavares
Net front: Knies

QB: Rielly
Flanks: Domi, Ekman-Larsson
Middle: Robertson
Net front: McMann