TORONTO — After a night’s sleep to process the sequence of events, Sergei Bobrovsky still has questions about the goal that was scored on him Tuesday evening, moments after Utah Mammoth forward Barrett Hayton collided with the netminder.
The Maple Leafs came up just short in a narrow loss to Utah Tuesday at Scotiabank Arena, the Mammoth potting a late power-play goal to quell a Toronto comeback effort. But it was the visitors’ second goal, midway through the tilt, that has the Maple Leafs faithful still up in arms.
The play came three minutes after Jack Roslovic had earned a tying goal for the home side. Late in the second period, Bobrovsky came up with a save that saw the puck deflected back out to the point — as Utah's Andrew Peeke wound up to put another attempt on the cage, Hayton cut across the net front, clipped Bobrovsky’s right skate and fell over the goaltender’s leg as the puck flew past them both and into the twine.
After convening momentarily to discuss their decision, the officials on the ice ruled Peeke’s attempt a good goal.
“In my understanding, because the goalie’s not in the crease, that’s the reason — but there’s lots of grey area,” Bobrovsky said Wednesday after the Maple Leafs' skate at their practice facility in Etobicoke. “Obviously, in that particular moment, I couldn’t do my job; I couldn’t stop the puck. So, there’s lots of questions.”
A veteran of nearly two decades in the big leagues, the 38-year-old said the rules are still murky when it comes to goalie interference.
“I do feel it’s not as clear — sometimes you feel that you’ve been interfered, but it’s still a goal; sometimes it’s the opposite,” he said. “So, my answer is: I’m not sure.”
Head coach Jim Hiller said Wednesday night that his club opted not to challenge the goal because the team’s video coaches identified this particular type of collision — occurring near or outside the crease — as having a low success rate on challenges. His netminder said he agreed with the decision to let the goal stand.
“I feel like we have good coaches, good video coaches, and they know better,” Bobrovsky said Wednesday. “I trust them completely on that, because they can see from different angles; they know the rules deeper, you know? I just focus on what I should do in the moment. Once the moment happens, they can analyze; they can see, because also you don’t want to risk taking the penalty and putting the team in a tough spot. So I trust them on that.”
As has become commonplace for the veteran, Bobrovsky stayed off the ice Wednesday, taking the day to focus on getting his body right ahead of a tough upcoming home slate that will see Montreal, New Jersey, Colorado, Minnesota and Edmonton come through town.
The veteran enters the rest of the homestand with an .899 save percentage and a 3-6-2 record through 11 appearances in a Maple Leafs sweater. While the losses have piled up lately for the two-time champ — Bobrovsky has dropped his past three starts, against Utah, Seattle and Calgary — he’s fresh off a night that saw him finish as one of Toronto's lone bright spots against Utah.
And while some on the outside are scrutinizing the play of the team’s new No. 1, inside the Maple Leafs’ room, the veteran's unyielding work ethic continues to leave his new teammates enthralled.
“He’s the ultimate pro,” winger Zack MacEwan said of the netminder before puck-drop Tuesday. “He’s been doing this for a long time. He’s been doing it so well, and he’s been doing well for us. I think he’s just going to keep getting better. He’s just super prepared — his preparation is unmatched, I think.”
MacEwan got an up-close look at Bobrovsky’s process ahead of Tuesday’s game, taking part in shooting on the netminder as the latter worked through his gameday routine.
“It’s honestly kind of nerve-wracking — you don’t want to mess up and miss a shot on him, because he’s so dialled,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s good. He’s got his routines dialled in, and to be a part of that and see how meticulous he is, and what goes into why he’s so good and has been so good for so long, it’s pretty cool to see.”
"He doesn't take a day off," head coach Jim Hiller said Wednesday. "He might take a day off the ice, but trust me, he's not taking a day off — he's going through his full routine."
The impact of the netminder’s arrival seems to have been felt most potently by his tandem partner, Anthony Stolarz, who first paired with No. 72 during the 2023-24 season in Florida — a year that granted Stolarz a Stanley Cup ring, and one of the best statistical campaigns of his career.
Reuniting in Toronto, Stolarz said he and Bobrovsky have picked up where they left off.
“It’s probably the same mindset [as in Florida] for me,” he said of the dynamic between the two, with Bobrovsky seeming to be the clear No. 1, as opposed to the past two years of splitting duties with Joseph Woll. “I’m a pretty easygoing guy — I think my mindset maybe at the beginning of last year was a little different, and I realized that that didn’t work for me. So, I kind of just went back to my old self, and I’ve done that to start this year.”
The shift has worked wonders for Stolarz, who’s started the 2026-27 season with five wins in six starts, and a .910 save percentage, too. Working alongside Bobrovsky, and once again getting a front-row seat to the veteran’s persistent focus on keeping his body healthy, has played a key role.
“It feels really good,” Stolarz said of his own health after practice earlier this week. “I put a lot of work in this summer. It was kind of a tough break last year, but kind of an eye-opener at the same time, in terms of, ‘Alright, you’re getting a little older here, and you just have to make sure that you’re taking care of yourself, that you’re doing the little things day in and day out that add up, that allow you to stay healthy and allow you to stay on the ice.’
“It’s just working with Sally [Belanger] — she’s our core specialist — working a little bit more with her, working on the road with her, whether it’s on a call or FaceTime. Just staying late, being able to do little things in the gym focused on those little muscles. And I’ve got a great mentor in Bobby, who’s always in there with me.”
For Bobrovsky’s part, he sees the pair coming along well to start the year, too.
“It’s just continuous,” he said of his relationship with Stolarz Wednesday. “We keep building our relationship. It’s been great in Florida, and it’s been great here so far, so we’re going to continue to build. I think it’s so important for the team and so important for both of us, because each of us knows what we’re dealing with going into the game when we play, and that support is so important.
“In Florida, he was a great goalie, you know? He was a big part of our team, a big part of our Stanley Cup win. He’s continued to build, and continued to be a great goalie.”
