In his season debut for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Anthony Stolarz showcased strong goaltending skills, making 26 saves and contributing to the team’s 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders on Wednesday night at Scotiabank Arena. Despite being a backup behind Sergei Bobrovsky, Stolarz expressed gratitude for the organization's faith in him after a challenging previous season marked by injuries and inconsistent play. The article highlights Stolarz's positive relationship with Bobrovsky and his impactful performance during the penalty kill, underscoring his potential as a key player for the Leafs this year.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-02,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Cowan, who excited Maple Leafs fans as the team’s top prospect, has been overshadowed by No. 1 overall draft pick Gavin McKenna.
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who → excite → pick
And Stolarz, their top goalie the past two seasons, finds himself a backup again with Sergei Bobrovsky the new No. 1 between the pipes.
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Bobrovsky → find → pipes
But the Leafs don’t get their first win of the season without them.
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Leafs → get → them
Cowan had a goal and an assist and Stolarz stopped 26 of 27 shots in a 2-1 win over the New York Islanders on Wednesday night at Scotiabank Arena.
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Stolarz → have → Arena
“First win of the season, that’s a great feeling,” said Stolarz.
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Stolarz → ’ → season
“Something for our team to grow on and expand on.”
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team → grow → ?
It’s not like Stolarz is the forgotten man, but last season was truly forgettable.
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season → ’ → ?
He was injured.
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He → injure → ?
He couldn’t win at home.
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He → win → home
The Leafs missed the playoffs.
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Leafs → miss → playoffs
Still, new management showed some faith in him, trading away Joseph Woll and Dennis Hildeby.
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management → show → Woll
Stolarz was still standing and now stands with Bobrovsky, also his one-time batterymate with the Stanley Cup-winning Florida Panthers.
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Stolarz → stand → Panthers
“It’s a vote of confidence in me.
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It → ’ → me
Look at the turnover, they wanted to keep me around.
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they → look → me
It’s exciting.
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It → ’ → ?
I want to be here, I want to play here,” said Stolarz.
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Stolarz → want → ?
The goalies have a close working relationship.
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goalies → have → relationship
“He’s a great goalie, a hell of a person and we get along extremely well,” Stolarz said about the 38-year-old Bobrovsky, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner.
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Stolarz → ’ → Bobrovsky
“Just going to the bench, being able to chat with him, talk shop with, it’s definitely refreshing.
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it → go → shop
He’s someone I look up to and admire.
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I → ’ → ?
Head coaches these days don’t have a lot to do with goalies; that’s what goalie coaches are for.
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coaches → have → what
But Hiller has noticed how the two get along: “I was just talking to (Bobrovsky) about (Stolarz).
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I → notice → Stolarz
They have a good relationship.
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They → have → relationship
He thought (Stolarz) played remarkable.”
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Stolarz → think → ?
Stolarz was electric: toe saves, pad saves, glove saves, the best part of a penalty kill that stalled four Islanders power plays.
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that → stall → plays
One player who is getting even better is Cowan.
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who → get → ?
He’s a pest, a playmaker, a finisher.
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He → ’ → ?
He had the shortest summer of any Leaf, winning the AHL’s Calder Cup with the Marlies after a full season with the Leafs, and has found another gear.
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He → have → gear
“Any time you play pro in the playoffs, it helps a lot,” said Cowan.
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Cowan → play → playoffs
“I called it,” said Groulx.
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Groulx → call → it
“I told my buddies about (Cowan).
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I → tell → Cowan
He was flying all camp, even before at the captain’s skate.
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He → fly → skate
You could see it coming.
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it → see → ?
He was great for us with the Marlies when he came down.
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he → come → Marlies
He took off offensively.
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He → take → ?
He’s a lot faster this year.
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He → ’ → ?
He’s playing with more poise, more confidence.
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He → play → poise
“He’s looking to be a dangerous player in this league for a long time.”
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He → look → time
Most of the September attention was directed at McKenna, the shiny new talent with great playmaking abilities.
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Most → direct → abilities
He hasn’t been able to shine just yet, although he did almost pick up his first NHL point until William Nylander muffed a terrific feed with goalie Ilya Sorokin out of position.
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Nylander → shine → position
…and 18 more, not listed.
The Aporia
