The Toronto Maple Leafs took another tight game on Tuesday night, defeating the Calgary Flames 4-3 amidst the NHL’s Frozen Frenzy.

Holding the Flames offence at bay, goaltender Anthony Stolarz is now back in the win column after dropping his last three games, conceding 13 goals across that stretch. Stolarz shared post-game that he felt good about how the team looked in front of him and how they took charge throughout despite the close scoreline.

“Up and down the ice I think we controlled the play,” Stolarz said. “You could see the long shifts that we had in their end, just being able to cycle it. Kind of roll them over, get fresh legs out there, get line changes. Even in the defensive zone, I think we kind of limited their chances, didn’t really give them much off the rush. Guys are working hard, backchecking hard. When we do that for 60 minutes we’re a hell of a hockey team, and we showed that tonight.”

One place the Leafs have been hurt through this year is on the rush. A week ago, Stolarz called out his team for not bringing their all to make life hard for their opponents. Now, he says he’s happy to see the team’s play on the rush and defensive effort getting better as the season rolls on.

“It’s improving, that’s the biggest thing,” Stolarz said. “It’s a long process, it’s a long season. You’re gonna have those break downs, it’s inevitable. We’re all human, we’re gonna make mistakes. They’re gonna get odd-man rushes, we’re gonna get odd-man rushes. I liked our game tonight, I think we kind of limited their chances. Guys were smart about stepping up in the neutral zone, and I thought we formed a wedge in the middle there and limited their offence.”

Stolarz has had a shaky start to the season, having to carry the lion’s share of starts with fellow Leafs netminder Joseph Woll out for a personal leave. Now with Woll set to return, Stolarz will hope to benefit from some additional rest to get his game back in peak form once again.