Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller has named his goalie for Tuesday night, and it's becoming clear who has won out the starter race.
As the Maple Leafs head into Tuesday night against the Nashville Predators, they are looking to get back into the win column after a rough 3-2 loss to their provincial rivals, the Ottawa Senators, on Saturday night.
With several stories to keep an eye on such as Gavin McKenna's quest for his first point, and how the continued partnership of Auston Matthews and Kirill Marchenko is going to thrive - plus it'll be interesting to see if Toronto's perfect PK can keep their record intact.
Jim Hiller has made the final call on Toronto's goaltending battle
But the question of who was going to start was a fairly important one, as Sergei Bobrovsky is penciled in as the day-to-day starter, but Anthony Stolarz has been responsible for helping Toronto secure their only win.
It's anyone's guess, but from the looks of practice on Monday, it's definitively going to be Bobrovsky's job to lose, as he gets the call against Nashville.
The 37-year-old has an 11-10-2 lifetime record against the Predators, with a 3.06 GAA and .901 SV% with two shutouts. He's been decent, but not the typical elite Bobrovsky - at least against Nashville.
So far this season, Bobrovsky has a 0-2-0 record with a 3.06 GAA and .887 SV% so far with Toronto, so suffice to say it hasn't been the start anyone had hoped for. There's a lot of time to turn it around, and Bobrovsky will just need some time to get comfortable.
Anthony Stolarz deserves another shot
Though Bobrovsky does deserve to be the starter at least for now - and considering they paid handsomely for him this summer they're going to run with him - but Stolarz deserves a lot of credit.
He's given Toronto their only win, and despite the small sample size he has a 1.03 GAA and .963 SV% - a very good sign that he may be like he was in 2024-25. Toronto's goal is to maintain his workload so he isn't given too much too soon, but if Bobrovsky loses another game then it might be inevitable.
If Bobrovsky gets the start on Thursday against Vegas, then it's very likely that Stolarz gets the call Saturday against the Avalanche. If the Maple Leafs head into Colorado on a loss, it makes it even more imperative they put in the goalie who has at least given them a win.
Jim Hiller may have essentially named Bobrovsky as the everyday tarter, but if he can't start winning like one - then it may be time for a big change in net.
Who should start for the Maple Leafs against Nashville on Tuesday?
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