Stolarz departs Maple Leafs’ game against Capitals with lower-body injury

TORONTO (AP) — Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz left Wednesday’s loss to the Washington Capitals early in the first period with a lower-body injury.

The Toronto starter was hurt after stretching out his left leg to get a pad on Cole Hutson’s shot from distance.

Stolarz immediately collapsed to the ice and pulled off his mask before one of the referees blew the play dead.

The 32-year-old was attended to by a trainer and had to be helped off the ice by teammates before heading down the tunnel to the locker room.

Coach Craig Berube announced after the 4-0 loss that Artur Akhtyamov will be recalled from the American Hockey League and make his first NHL appearance Thursday when the Maple Leafs visit the New York Islanders.

“I’ve really liked him right from camp,” Berube said of the 24-year-old Russian selected 106th overall at the 2020 NHL draft. “Great personality. He’s played well down there. He’s a competitor and he’s really got fast reflexes.”

The Maple Leafs also lost forward Dakota Joshua (upper body) and defenseman Brandon Carlo (lower body) to injuries later in the game against Washington.

Berube said Luke Haymes and William Villeneuve will join Akhtyamov as AHL call-ups. Haymes is also slated to make his NHL debut Thursday for the Maple Leafs, who are set to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

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