Anthony Stolarz makes his feelings known about ‘cobra’ barehand save against Red Wings

On Friday, Anthony Stolarz made an unforgettable save with his bare hand in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 3–1 win over the Detroit Red Wings. The Maple Leafs dominated throughout.

After the game, Stolarz explained the play to TSN’s Mark Masters.

“That definitely wasn’t the plan,” he said.

"I saw the puck laying there, took my chance &, kind of like a cobra, just strike & get out of there."

NHL shared a video of Stolarz on X and captioned it:

"No blocker? No problem. Anthony Stolarz makes a save with his bare hand!"

Stolarz stopped 21 of 22 shots in the game. He allowed Dylan Larkin to score a power-play goal in the second period but played strong the rest of the way. The Leafs goalie has been in great form lately. In his last six appearances, he has a 4-0-2 record with a 2.15 goals-against average (GAA) and a .926 save percentage.

Stolarz continues his impressive run in net. His quick reflexes and ability to make key saves have been important for the team this season.

---

Anthony Stolarz's play helped the Leafs in 3–1 win

On Friday, the Toronto Maple Leafs won 3–1 against the Detroit Red Wings in the Hockey Hall of Fame game. John Tavares scored twice to lead the Leafs to their second straight win. Mitch Marner also scored and added an assist, extending his point streak to seven games.

Coach Craig Berube praised Marner for his strong play, especially defensively and on the penalty kill.

“[Mitch] does a lot for us, defensively and penalty killing he’s been excellent,” Berube said per NHL.com. “He’s a guy that reads the play really well, anticipates, breaks plays up with his stick. There’s a lot of good there with him [lately] all around.”

First, Marner scored a power-play goal in the first period, putting in his rebound. Dylan Larkin tied it for Detroit with a power-play goal in the second.

Tavares put the Leafs back in the lead with a power-play goal in the second period. In the third, Anthony Stolarz made a big save with his bare hand to keep it 2–1. Tavares sealed the win with an empty-net goal at 18:30.

The Maple Leafs were 2-for-2 on the power play, a key factor in their recent success. They will play the Montreal Canadiens next.