4 tips from Leafs-Bruins: Stolarz makes bad start, Minten takes revenge, power play comes to life

Anthony Stolarz made his worst start as a member of the Maple Leafs and was pulled after the Bruins’ fourth goal, replaced by Dennis Hildeby. Hildeby was expected to start Sunday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes. After Hildeby came off the bench, head coach Craig Berube was unable to confirm a starting goaltender for Sunday’s game.

“He was great. I put him in a bad situation, but he came in, handled it like a real professional and played well,” Stolarz said of Hildeby after the match.

If you’re looking for positives, Toronto’s dormant power play came to life, converting two of three chances with goals from Nick Robertson and John Tavares. Matias Maccelli added an even-strength marker at the end of the first period. Morgan Geekie, Viktor Arvidsson, Michael Eyssimont and David Pastrnak all scored for the Bruins, while Fraser Minten exacted a measure of revenge by adding an insurance goal in the third period to seal the win. Bruins head coach Marco Sturm told reporters he believed Minten was his best player. It certainly adds insult to injury.

Here are four takeaways from the Maple Leafs’ 5-3 loss to the Bruins:

Anthony Stolarz is off to his worst start with the Maple Leafs, replaced by Dennis Hildeby

Anthony Stolarz was arguably the Maple Leafs’ most valuable player last season, and while he has stepped into a true starter role this year, the 31-year-old has quietly been in poor form. Stolarz made the worst start of his Maple Leafs tenure, allowing four goals on 19 shots. And while the Maple Leafs made it too easy for the Bruins with several turnovers in their own zone throughout the night, Stolarz should have given up the last two goals and was rightly drawn in Dennis Hildeby’s favor.

Stolarz held himself accountable after the match, but also seemed bewildered by a mediocre evening.

“It’s clearly not okay,” Stolarz said after the game of his performance in the opening month of the season. “It seems like every night I give up one or two things that I want back. For me, it’s just the life of a goalkeeper. You just have to put it behind you and focus on the next game, get back to training, work on a few things and tighten things up.”

Stolarz wasn’t necessarily to blame for Morgan Geekie’s equalizing goal, and Viktor Arvidsson’s goal was the result of a terrible turnover caused by Philippe Myers and Dakota Joshua. Stolarz should have gotten the last two goals back, even though the Maple Leafs defenders offered no resistance.

Stolarz rejected the idea that he is suffering from fatigue this season, but it is clear that he needs rest. Joseph Woll started for the Toronto Marlies of the AHL on Saturday and is working his way back into shape after missing a month due to personal leave. Hildeby can provide some relief, but Stolarz is nowhere near the elite form he showed during the 2024/25 season.

Scott Laughton leaves with an upper body injury, Bobby McMann stands up for his teammate

“I thought it was a head shot. I’ll have to take a closer look,” Berube said after the game about Zadorov’s goal on Laughton.

Bobby McMann disagreed with the game and fought Zadorov to a draw. McMann was praised by his teammates for taking on the much bigger and heavier Zadorov.

“I didn’t really see the whole thing, I just saw it out of the corner of my eye,” McMann said after the game. “I didn’t really like the hit and that’s what I saw. I just caught it out of the corner and wanted to make sure he knew I didn’t like it.”

It’s a crushing loss, especially considering Laughton has worked tirelessly to get ready for the season and excelled during the preseason. Toronto may be forced to quickly recalibrate the lineup or call up Easton Cowan from the AHL, as Laughton offers solid defensive value and can be used in a number of roles for the team.

A dormant Leafs’ power play comes to life

Nick Robertson opened the scoring, converting an excellent Max Domi pass through the back door. You may have heard this before, but Robertson is in good form, with six points in his past five games, and he was tenacious all game at 5-on-5, on par with McMann and John Tavares.

Tavares continued his excellent season so far, recording his eighth goal of the season. Oliver Ekman-Larsson and William Nylander moved the puck around expertly before Tavares beat Jeremy Swayman from the high slot. During the preseason, the Maple Leafs emphasized getting a shot early on the power play, while getting pucks straight to the net so the two power forwards could jam away from dangerous looks. This hasn’t always worked out during the regular season, but one evening we received proof of concept that the changes made throughout the week are starting to pay off.

Bruins’ Fraser Minten exacts revenge on the Maple Leafs

“I really like the guys here. They’ve been really good to me. We’ve just been building lately and playing great games.”

It wasn’t a standout performance from Minten, as the Maple Leafs controlled shots, opportunities and expected goals when he was on the ice 5-on-5, but those are predictive stats. Minten scored when it counted, putting the game out of reach for the Maple Leafs in a Saturday night celebration. It certainly counts as a revenge game, especially as the Bruins widened their early division gap over the Maple Leafs.

PRESENTED BY VIVID CHAIRS