Maple Leafs Anthony Stolarz Owned His Mistakes: But Fixable?

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There’s something to be said for a hockey player who stands up after a tough night and admits he could have been better. Anthony Stolarz did that after the Toronto Maple Leafs lost 5-4 to the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday night. Stolarz didn’t hide from it. He said he probably wanted two or three of the goals back and acknowledged that he put his team in a difficult spot.

That’s accountability. And there’s nothing wrong with expecting your goalie to make a timely save when the team needs one. But Jim Hiller wasn’t about to let the rest of the Maple Leafs off the hook. Utah scored five goals, all at even strength and all off the rush. That’s not just a goalie having a bad night. That’s a team having trouble keeping things organized in front of him.

Stolarz Wasn’t the Only Maple Leaf to Make Mistakes

Hiller made that pretty clear after the game. Yes, there were goals Stolarz would like to have back. But other players made mistakes before those scoring chances ever reached the net. I think that distinction matters. It’s human nature to look for somebody to blame when things go wrong. In hockey, the goalie is an easy target. The puck goes in, the scoreboard changes, and everybody can see what happened.

What we don’t always see is the turnover at the other end, the missed assignment in the neutral zone, or the defenceman caught on the wrong side of a speedy forward. By the time the puck reaches the goalie, the damage may already have been done.

That doesn’t excuse Stolarz. He knows he has to be better, and he said as much. But the Maple Leafs need to take a good look at how they defend as a group.

The Maple Leafs’ Mistakes Carry Over from Last Season

This was a problem last season, too. Toronto gave up too many dangerous chances and too often asked its goalies to bail everybody out. A new coach and a new season haven’t made that problem disappear. The Maple Leafs’ push in the third period was encouraging. They scored twice and made Utah work for the win. But coming back from a hole is a lot harder than avoiding one in the first place.

And that’s where the work begins. I like that Stolarz took responsibility. That hasn’t always been the case. But it’s part of being a professional. But accountability has to work both ways. One player can’t be expected to own every mistake when the whole team has a hand in making them.

The Maple Leafs don’t need a goalie to take all the blame. They need five skaters in front of him who understand that keeping the puck out of their net is everybody’s job.

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