It’s safe to say that things did not go well for the Toronto Maple Leafs in their lackluster 6-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series.
But there was a small treat for Pittsburgh Penguins fans.
Former Penguins’ goaltender and two-time Stanley Cup champion Matt Murray entered the game in the third period to replace Leafs starter Joseph Woll, who surrendered five goals on 25 shots. It marks Murray’s first playoff appearance since Aug. 5, 2020 as a member of the Penguins during the play-in round against the Montreal Canadiens that year.
Murray allowed a power-play goal to Panthers forward Sam Bennett and stopped six of seven Florida shots in relief of Woll.
The 30-year-old Thunder Bay, Ontario native was selected by the Penguins in the third round (83rd overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft. He stormed onto the scene for the Penguins just prior to the 2016 playoffs, filling in for an injured Marc-Andre Fleury during Pittsburgh’s final 13 games of the regular season.
In those 13 games, he posted a 9-2-1 record and a .930 save percentage, which earned him the starting nod for the Penguins during the postseason. During the 2016 playoffs, he went 15-6 with a .923 save percentage and one shutout to lead the Penguins to a Stanley Cup championship.
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Technically still a rookie in 2017, Murray helped the Penguins go back-to-back in 2017. After an injury kept him out in the earlier rounds, he came back strong for the remainder of the playoffs, starting 10 games with a 7-3 record and a whopping .937 save percentage en route to his second Cup as an NHL rookie.
Murray saw his fair share of struggles in subsequent seasons, which led to his eventual trade to the Ottawa Senators during the 2020 NHL Draft. He was later traded to the Leafs in 2022 and re-signed to a one-year contract for the 2024-25 season after missing the entirety of 2023-24 to double-hip surgery.
Over the course of his 274-game NHL career, Murray is 147-87-24 with a .910 save percentage.
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