Murray mans crease vs. Sabres for 1st NHL start since April 2023

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Matt Murray was between the pipes for Friday's clash against the Buffalo Sabres, marking his first NHL start in 628 days.

"He still has a lot of fire inside," head coach Craig Berube said prior to the contest, according to Luke Fox of Sportsnet.

Toronto recalled Murray from the Toronto Marlies and assigned netminder Dennis Hildeby to the AHL earlier on Friday.

Murray's last game for the Maple Leafs came in April 2023 when he was pulled in a loss to the Detroit Red Wings.

The 30-year-old underwent bilateral hip surgery in October 2023.

The two-time Stanley Cup champion owns a 1.85 goals against average with a .931 save percentage across eight games for the Marlies this season.

Toronto is looking for a backup goaltender with Joseph Woll taking the No. 1 job after Anthony Stolarz underwent a knee procedure that will keep him out for four-to-six weeks.