The Toronto Maple Leafs almost completed a three-goal comeback on Tuesday against the Utah Mammoth, but ultimately fell 5-4.
The Maple Leafs survived a three-goal deficit three times before bringing it within one late in the third on Tuesday night. For the vast majority of the contest, the Maple Leafs were playing catch-up, and once they narrowed the lead down, they always seemed to find themselves back at square one just a few minutes later.
Anthony Stolarz Becoming Cause For Concern
An area which seemed to be a cause for concern was the goaltending on Tuesday night. Anthony Stolarz made his third start of the early season and struggled to say the least. The 32-year-old allowed five goals on 28 shots and ultimately held the Maple Leafs back. Stolarz admitted his play was not strong in the Maple Leafs’ loss, taking responsibility, while understanding the team did all they could to get back into the contest after trailing by three goals on three different occasions.
“Probably want two or three of those goals back,” Stolarz said on Tuesday. “Not the way you want to go into the road trip. But, as I said, I thought our third period was really good, and the resilience this group has shown. I’ve got better, and I will be better in the future.”
This served as Stolarz’s first loss of the season; he had a stellar performance against the New York Islanders a few weeks back to earn the Maple Leafs their first victory of the season. The New Jersey native also backstopped the Maple Leafs on their way to their comeback victory against the Nashville Predators just one week ago. Jim Hiller made sure to spread the blame throughout the lineup, but understood his goaltender was not good enough.
Jim Hiller Thoughts on Stolarz Performance
“Well, we want to win. I mean, we could’ve got five points. When we say, “Are we good with three?” No, not really. If you had said, Are you happy with five? We would’ve said, Absolutely.”
“It’s just the way it works. We’ve just got to get points. Could’ve made this a great trip. In the end, you know, it’s okay.”
The Maple Leafs head back home and face off against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, opening a three game homestand.
Jim Hiller Sends Clear Message to Maple Leafs Goaltender