BUFFALO -- Matt Murray will play in an NHL game for the first time since April 2, 2023, when the goalie starts for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Friday (7 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+, SNO).
It's been 628 days since the goalie's last NHL appearance, playing 16:16 in relief in a 5-2 Toronto loss to the Detroit Red Wings. His last start was March 25, 2023, against the Carolina Hurricanes (a 5-3 loss).
"He still has a lot left in the tank and wants to continue playing," Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said Friday. "It takes a lot of hard work and he's already accomplished the ultimate goal a couple of times but he still has a lot of fire inside. Wants to get back to the form he had once."
The 30-year-old didn't play in the NHL last season after recovering from bilateral hip surgery he had in October 2023, returning on April 13, 2024, to play three games for Toronto of the American Hockey League.
Murray, who is 4-1-2 with one shutout, a 1.85 goals-against average and .931 save percentage in eight games in the AHL, was recalled by the Maple Leafs on Friday.
The game Friday is the first of a back-to-back set for the Maple Leafs, who are without goalie Anthony Stolarz, who is out 4-6 weeks with a knee injury sustained on Dec. 12.
Joseph Woll made 36 saves for the Maple Leafs in a 5-3 win against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday.
To make room for Murray, goalie Dennis Hildeby, who made 24 saves in a 5-3 win against Buffalo on Dec. 15, was assigned to the AHL.
"He's played well down there, and we thought we'd bring him up here and get him involved here tonight," Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said of Murray. "With the Stolarz injury, veteran guy that's been around, and obviously the last couple years with injuries and things like that with him, but he's back to health."
Murray, who won consecutive Stanley Cup championships with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017, has battled injuries over the past several years. He hasn't played more than 38 games in a season since 2018-19 while playing for the Penguins.
Following that season in Pittsburgh, he was traded to the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 7, 2020.
He played in 47 games over two seasons with Ottawa before he was traded to Toronto on July 11, 2022. He went 14-8-2 for the Maple Leafs in 2022-23.
"He still has a lot left in the tank and wants to continue playing," Berube said. "It takes a lot of hard work and he's already accomplished the ultimate goal a couple times but he still has a lot of fire inside. Wants to get back to the form he had once."
Maple Leafs forward Max Pacioretty knows well what Murray has experienced. Injuries limited the forward to five games with the Hurricanes in 2022-23 and he battled through them in playing 47 games for the Washington Capitals last season.
"It's hard," Pacioretty said of the mental challenges. "I mean, it's hard to almost remember what you've done, what you've accomplished, because it seems like all the noise is always in the moment of whether it's the injury or what has happened lately. In reality, you've just got to take each day as it comes.
"You never know when it's going to be all over, so you don't want to take days for granted. He probably had some times where he thought it might be; I definitely did as well, and you definitely don't want to take any of those days for granted."
Selected by Pittsburgh in the third round (No. 83) of the 2012 NHL Draft, Murray is 146-86-24 in 272 NHL games, with a 2.79 goals-against average and .910 save percentage. In 51 Stanley Cup Playoff games, all with Pittsburgh, he's 29-21 with a 2.18 GAA and .921 save percentage.
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