The Stanley Cup Playoffs never lack drama. Round 1 had enough of it, and it didn’t take Round 2 much long to serve up some more either. And who was in the center of it all? Panthers forward Sam Bennett, whose collision with Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz has Toronto’s faithful up in arms.
Early in the game, Bennett, no stranger to postseason scrutiny, drove to the net and made contact with Stolarz, appearing to catch the goalie’s head with his elbow. Minutes later, Stolarz was seen vomiting on the bench before being stretchered to a nearby hospital. He’s since been released, but the incident left a sour taste.
Bennett stayed quiet post-game but finally addressed the incident on Tuesday. “Stollie is a good friend of mine,” he said, per a TSN Sports post on X. “I reached out to him. He responded. Obviously, never want to see an injury like that. From my point of view, I’m just taking the puck to the net. I didn’t even know we made contact until after. I’m on the power play, I’m trying to score. That’s really all there was to it.” His explanation? Just doing his job, driving to the net on a power play. But for many, it didn’t add up.
Toronto fans, already frustrated, didn’t buy Bennett’s take. One fan on X vented, “Total b******t. Why bother asking the question. Ask him about the ‘coincidence’ of him knocking out 3 players, 3 years in a row all with head injuries and concussions.” In 2023, a rookie Matthew Knies sat out the remainder of the series vs. Florida after Bennett body slammed him onto the ice in Game 2, giving him a concussion. During the 2024 second round, Bennett sat his now-teammate Brad Marchand out for the two games in the playoffs after he sucker punched him in Game 3 of Round 2 playoff series.
Sam Bennett reached out to good friend, Anthony Stolarz, last night after the collision: pic.twitter.com/nTN4t1yNVN
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 6, 2025
The story is developing…
The post Sam Bennett’s Honest Confession on Anthony Stolarz Hit Further Angers Toronto Maple Leafs Community: “Total B****T” appeared first on EssentiallySports.
