BUFFALO, N.Y. — Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Matt Murray felt tingles in making sure to take in the moment during pregame warmups and the national anthem before making his first NHL start in nearly 21 months.
The 30-year-old, two-time Stanley Cup-winner felt an even bigger wave of emotion come over him once the final horn sounded and Murray was mobbed by his teammates following his 25-save performance in a 6-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.
“A big release,” Murray said, in coming to the realization of the exhaustive work he has put in spending much of the past year rehabbing following bilateral hip surgery.
“I think I took it as a challenge. It was a long road, a big mountain to climb,” Murray said. “But I kept this moment in the front of my mind on those days where it felt tough.”
Murray is best known for opening his career with Pittsburgh, where he won two Cups, including his rookie season in 2015-16 when he posted a 15-6 record in the playoffs.
The win on Friday was the 147th of Murray’s career, and first since a 33-save outing in Toronto’s 6-2 win over Florida on March 23, 2023. His last start came two days later in a loss at Carolina, while he also had a mop-up outing in a backup role a week later in a loss to Detroit.
Otherwise, Murray spent much of the past calendar year wondering if he’ll ever play another NHL game again, while regaining his form with the Maple Leafs’ AHL affiliate. He closed last season going 1-2 in three starts, and had a 4-1-2 record, including a shutout, when Toronto called him up Friday, with Anthony Stolarz sidelined four to six weeks after having knee surgery.
Coach Craig Berube expressed confidence in Murray before the game by saying “he still has a fire inside.”
Afterward, Berube congratulated Murray for being cool and composed.
“I didn’t notice too much emotion or anything like that. He was pretty dialed in,” Berube said. “It’s a big commitment he made to want to get back and play in the NHL. Went through a lot and very happy for him.”
Murray made several key stops in the opening two periods, and got a boost from Toronto’s offense in building a 5-1 lead over the slumping Sabres, who dropped to 0-9-3 in their past 12.
Murray also got a few assists from the officials, who disallowed two goals.
Alex Tuch’s goal, which would have tied the game at 1 early in the first period, was disallowed when a linesman ruled Buffalo’s Jason Zucker high-sticked Toronto Chris Tanev entering the zone. Zucker was issued a double-minor penalty for drawing blood.
Owen Power then had a goal disallowed that would have cut the lead to 5-4 with 3:26 left. Toronto, however, successfully challenged Buffalo’s Sam Lafferty for goalie interference. Replays showed Lafferty’s skate hitting Murray’s stick just before Power scored on a shot from the right point.
“I had no chance,” Murray said on the second disallowed goal. “I was definitely hoping that they were going to make the right call. I think they did.”
Maple Leafs players praised Murray for his performance and resilience, knowing what the goalie has endured.
“Mentally to clock in every single day for that long, it’s unbelievable,” forward Max Domi said. “That’s stuff that you guys as media members and the fans don’t see, but we as players do. And I mean, it’s inspirational for us. We all look up to him and we’re super happy for him.”