Maple Leafs Usher in New Era of Goaltending with Matt Murray Starting in Opener Against Canadiens, Lineups, Where To Watch
Matt Murray #MattMurray
Matt Murray gets the first chance to take the net as the Toronto Maple Leafs open their season against the Montreal Canadiens
MONTREAL — Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov joined the Toronto Maple Leafs just days apart this summer.
Both are reclamations projects, but Murray is undoubtedly the bigger risk after a season with the Ottawa Senators plagued with injuries and a stint in the minors.
But given the commitment made to the two-time Stanley Cup champion, the Maple Leafs are going to give him the first start of the season on Wednesday when the Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Montreal Canadiens.
“He’s earned it, At the same time so has Ilya, but in Murray’s case he’s the guy with more experience and it’s natural for me to do it that way,” Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “It just so happens that Washington is on the second half of the back-to-back and that gave us reason to pause and think about that and think about how that might affect Sammy and his mindset. I just think it’s important to give Murray the first game.”
Both goaltenders performed well in the preseason, with Murray playing against the Canadiens twice.
There will be some familiarity there. Murray recorded a .969 save percentage in three pre-season contests.
“It means a lot,” Murray said of Keefe’s decision. “There’s definitely a lot of excitement for me and just looking to get off on the right foot.”s
The club acquired Murray in July from the Ottawa Senators and a pair of draft picks in exchange for future considerations. Ottawa also agreed to absorb 25 per cent of Murray’s $6.25 million salary-cap hit.
The Leafs are committed to their goaltender for two seasons, with the hope he can regain the form that saw him win a pair of Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017.
“He’s just been confident all around,” Auston Matthews said of Murray. “He’s a guy that’s been there before so it’s impressive to see him in practices and games. He competes out there. Really confident and solid all around.”
The Maple Leafs feel they can build Murray back after posting a .906 save percentage in 20 games with the Sens last season. He’s been in Toronto all summer working with newly installed goaltending coach Curtis Sanford and goaltending skills development boss Jon Elkin, whom he knows well from their time together with the Sault Ste. Marlie Greyhounds.
Toronto feels that under a tighter defense, Murray will get the support needed to find success again.
“We’ve got to do our part as coaches and as a team in front of them to protect them and give them every opportunity to succeed,” Keefe said of his goalies.
Lineups
The Maple Leafs are expected to have John Tavares in the lineup after he was initially ruled out earlier in the pre-season with an oblique injury.
The Canadiens have yet to finalize their lineup but it’s expected that 2022 No. 1 NHL Draft pick Juraj Slafkovsky will make his NHL debut.
“He looked pretty good in the game in Montreal, I thought,” Auston Matthews recalled of their pre-season contest against one another. “He’s so big and powerful out there. He’s a really solid player all around.”
The game will also mark Nick Suzuki’s first as captain of the Canadiens.
Where to watch
Viewers in Canada will be able to watch/stream the game on Sportsnet Ontario, East, West and Pacific and the SN NOW streaming service.
Following the game, Rink Wide Toronto is your home for post-game reaction on location from Bell Centre in Montreal. Subscribe below wherever you get your podcasts.