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Matt Murray To Be Toronto Maple Leafs Third Goalie

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David Alter of Sports Illustrated is reporting that Matt Murray is set to take the role as the Toronto Maple Leafs third goalie as they get set to begin their second round series against the Florida Panthers. The Thunder Bay native joined his Leafs teammates at practice today for the first time since he suffered a concussion on April 2 during a 5-2 Toronto loss against Detroit.

The 28-year-old will fall behind Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll on the Maple Leafs goaltending depth chart and will likely travel with the club when they head to Florida for games three and four. Murray has an exemplary track record in the playoffs having backstopped the Pittsburgh Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cups as a rookie in 2016 and 2017.

A lot has changed since those two championships as Murray has been relegated to an afterthought since being traded by the Penguins to the Ottawa Senators in 2020. Murray never found his footing in Ottawa as he battled inconsistency and injuries and was eventually traded last summer to Toronto in a salary dump.

Murray had an uneven first season in Toronto posting a 14-8-2 record with a 3.01 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage. While he hasn’t posted elite numbers in years, he does offer Toronto a strong backup option should Samsonov stumble.

PHR Playoff Primer: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Florida Panthers

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With the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs now underway, PHR makes its first foray into playoff series analysis with our 2023 Playoff Primers. Where does each team stand in their series, and what storylines could dominate on and off the ice? We begin our Second Round coverage with the Atlantic Division matchup between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers.

Two teams with very short histories of recent playoff success will face off against each other in the Second Round. What could go wrong?

Both teams overcame adversity to get to this point, although one team’s path is much more impressive than the other. The Florida Panthers are here against all odds, finishing the regular season as the 17th-place team in the league but vanquishing the record-setting Boston Bruins in seven games. It’s the first time in franchise history the Panthers have advanced in the postseason in back-to-back years.

The Maple Leafs, while favored to win their series, exorcised past failures in their own right, advancing in the playoffs for the first time in nearly two decades. It’s a massive step toward ending the longest championship drought in the league, one in which they’ll have to vanquish both Florida teams to end.

Regular Season Performance

Toronto: 50-21-11, 111 points, +57 goal differential
Florida: 42-32-8, 92 points, +17 goal differential

Head-To-Head

January 17, 2023: Florida 4, Toronto 5 (OT)
March 23, 2023: Toronto 6, Florida 2
March 29, 2023: Florida 3, Toronto 2 (OT)
April 10, 2023: Toronto 2, Florida 1 (OT)

Toronto takes season series 3-0-1

Team Storylines

It was a tale of two seasons for the Florida Panthers, who went 12-5-2 after the trade deadline to rocket back into playoff position after a disappointing first half to the campaign. Fortunately for them, they were able to keep it rolling in the playoffs, and their early-series dominance and late-series heroics were enough to create one of the largest upsets in NHL history.

It should strike fear into the Toronto Maple Leafs, who deserve full credit for their series win, but were outplayed heavily at times by the Lightning and got some soft goals past a normally stout Andrei Vasilevskiy. One main reason for optimism for Leafs fans, however, is their play against Florida down the stretch. Three of their four season matchups game within the last few weeks of the campaign, with Florida scratching and clawing for playoff positioning. Toronto came out victorious in two of the three games, dropping the other in overtime.

Toronto was able to get to the slot with ease in their 6-2 win, forcing nine high-danger chances against Sergei Bobrovsky. Their more balanced attack, with the inclusion of Ryan O’Reilly to the third line, will be key in getting through a Florida defense that lacks depth behind Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad.

Goaltending may as well be a toss-up in this series. With Bobrovsky reclaiming the starter’s net in Florida, he and Ilya Samsonov have had very similar postseasons. Both have let in shaky goals at times but have turned it on in clutch moments, stealing their team’s games despite mediocre save percentages.

Defensively, Toronto will need to change their game plan when hemmed in their own zone. A common criticism against Toronto in the first round was their passiveness, allowing the Lightning to cycle freely in the zone and activate their defensemen at the points. With Montour’s current offensive dominance for Florida, he’ll be an unleashed weapon in this series if the Leafs aren’t more aggressive in covering the points.  There’s also the matter of Matthew Tkachuk to stop, who’s taken Florida on his back this season.

The same goes for Florida, who have to contend with a red-hot Morgan Rielly for Toronto. The Maple Leafs were much more confident moving the puck in their series-clinching Game 6 win, largely in part due to swapping in Timothy Liljegren in the lineup for Justin Holl. That change is expected to stick for Game 1.

Prediction

Both teams won their series in similar ways: clutch saves and mastering a “bend but don’t break” mentality. With the monkey off the Maple Leafs’ backs, however, the advantage goes to the team with better depth at every position.

Toronto’s ability to roll three lines and advance the puck out of the zone with a more confident defense, as well as a dialed-in Ilya Samsonov, should keep the upstart Panthers at bay and guide the Maple Leafs to the conference finals for the first time since 2002.

Prediction: Maple Leafs win in six games.

Toronto Maple Leafs Loan Erik Källgren To AHL

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have made a roster move ahead of their second-round playoff series against the Florida Panthers, as they have loaned goaltender Erik Källgren to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. The move comes as the Maple Leafs are nearing full health among their goaltending depth for what seems like the first time in months.

Källgren was the emergency backup on Toronto’s roster behind Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll during the team’s first-round win against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He’s played 24 games with the Leafs over the past two seasons, recording a .892 save percentage and an 11-6-5 record, but has now been surpassed by the younger Woll in the hierarchy of Toronto goalies.

The loaning of Källgren to the Marlies is likely a sign that two-time Stanley Cup champion Matt Murray is healthy enough to return to game action. Murray hasn’t played since April 2, sustaining a concussion in a game against the Detroit Red Wings.

Even if Murray is ready to return to play, it’s unlikely he’ll see any game action, and it’s unclear whether he’d even dress as the backup. Woll has had an impressive season at both the NHL and minor-league levels and played strong hockey down the stretch.

Källgren now returns to aid the Marlies in their playoff run, currently tied 1-1 with the Utica Comets in a best-of-five semifinal series. He posted a 10-9-2 record and a .883 save percentage in 24 games with the Marlies this season.

Matt Murray Closer To Returning To Practice

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  • Toronto Maple Leafs netminder Matt Murray had seemingly returned to practice this morning for the first time in nearly a month, but skated with a separate pad of players, says The Hockey News’ David Alter. Murray, sidelined with a concussion since April 2, is unlikely to get any playing time once he is healthy but serves as a more veteran backup option to Ilya Samsonov. Joseph Woll has stayed on the Leafs’ bench in Murray’s absence, making his playoff debut in relief in Game 1’s loss against the Lightning. Murray’s availability for a potential series-clinching Game 5 on Thursday is uncertain.

NHL Announces 2023 Global Series

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The NHL is heading back to Europe, sending four teams to Sweden for the 2023 Global Series games. The Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, and Minnesota Wild will play a total of four games in mid-November.

The games will take place in Stockholm, Sweden, a city that has hosted more NHL games than any other outside of North America. The four matches will be:

  • November 16: Red Wings vs. Senators
  • November 17: Maple Leafs vs. Red Wings
  • November 18: Wild vs. Senators
  • November 19: Maple Leafs vs. Wild

The four teams have several Swedish-born stars on their current rosters and long franchise ties to the country. Hall of Fame former players like Nicklas Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, Mats Sundin, Daniel Alfredsson, and Borje Salming will certainly be represented in the sea of NHL sweaters, while current names like Jonas Brodin, Joel Eriksson Ek, Filip Gustavsson, Lucas Raymond, and William Nylander will surely wow the crowds.

The games will be played at Avicii Arena, the famous Globe that regularly holds some of Sweden’s largest events.

Michael Bunting Returns From Suspension

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  • Returning back from a three-game suspension, Michael Bunting will be available for the Toronto Maple Leafs Thursday night as they look to eliminate the three-time defending Eastern Conference Champion Tampa Bay Lightning. Playing very well in his absence, Mark Masters of TSN reports that there is potential for Bunting to not make his way into the lineup for Game Five. Masters relays on a message from the Maple Leafs’ head coach Sheldon Keefe, who states that no decision has been made about Bunting’s return to the lineup but did confirm that Matthew Knies was not coming out of the lineup for Bunting.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Carl Dahlstrom Linked To SHL

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At the beginning of the season, it appeared as though Carl Dahlstrom had positioned himself to be one of the first call-ups for the Toronto Maple Leafs, receiving NHL pay (and ice time) whenever the team suffered an injury on defense. Instead, Dahlstrom suffered the injury, going down with a shoulder issue that required surgery.

After months on the sidelines recovering, he has recently re-joined the Toronto Marlies for their playoff run, playing eight games over the last few weeks. Whenever the Marlies’ season ends, it might be the last we see of Dahlstrom on North American ice—at least for now.

The veteran defenseman has been linked to Farjestad BK of the SHL, with former Rockford IceHogs teammates speaking highly of him for the club. A return to Sweden could end any chance of another NHL stint for the 28-year-old defenseman, who has 67 games under his belt at the highest level.

Just three of those have come since the end of 2019-20, though, as he struggled with injuries for multiple clubs. With so much depth currently on the Maple Leafs, there’s no way he’ll get into the NHL playoff lineup, and as a pending unrestricted free agent, finding a home for next season is a priority.

Sam Lafferty Fined For Cross-Checking

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While the Toronto Maple Leafs may have escaped their first game in Tampa Bay this series with a stunning overtime victory, not all of their players will leave last night’s game entirely unscathed.

Bottom-sixer Sam Lafferty, a trade acquisition this season from the Chicago Blackhawks, has been fined just over $3,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.

Lafferty follows Michael Bunting (who earned a three-game suspension for a dangerous high hit on Lightning blueliner Erik Cernak) as the second Toronto player to receive supplemental discipline these playoffs.

Lafferty’s fine is for cross-checking Tampa Bay forward Ross Colton during last night’s game. Late in the second period, with the Lightning up three-to-two, a frozen puck from Ilya Samsonov prompted a relatively regular net-front scrum between Colton and Lafferty. They gave each other a shove as they jostled for position before Colton turned around and Lafferty delivered a cross-check to his head area.

The 28-year-old Maple Leaf received a minor penalty last night in addition to today’s fine. Under contract through next season, Lafferty has scored seven points in 22 total games for Toronto and served as an important defense-first role player. He’ll look to put this fine behind him and help Toronto take a commanding 3-1 series lead on Monday.

Michael Bunting Suspended Three Games

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The NHL’s Department of Player Safety has announced that Toronto Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting has been suspended for three games for his hit on Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak. Bunting will miss games 2-4 of the Lightning-Leafs first round series while Cernak will not play in game two on Thursday after taking the hit to the head.

Tampa Bay could also be without the services of defenseman Victor Hedman, who will be a game time decision for game two. Hedman also left the Lightning’s 7-3 victory with an undisclosed injury and did not return. The hit on Cernak led to a match penalty and a five-minute powerplay that the Lightning ultimately cashed in on twice. Tampa Bay was 4-8 on the man advantage in game one.

Bunting has been a revelation for the Leafs after coming over from the Arizona Coyotes on a two-year deal. After putting up 63 points last season in 79 games, this year he put up 49 points in 82 games. Despite his strong offensive numbers, the Bunting incident is eerily similar to the suspension issues the Maple Leafs dealt with when Nazim Kadri was in Toronto. He had several incidents in the playoffs that eventually led to a trade to the Colorado Avalanche and now Bunting has had a few issues this season with various run-ins with the league. However none have led to suspensions until his hit in game one.

Michael Bunting To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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Toronto Maple Leafs left winger Michael Bunting will be facing a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety today for an illegal check to the head and interference on Tampa Bay Lightning defender Erik Černák.

Officials assessed Bunting a match penalty on the play during last night’s 7-3 Game 1 loss. According to Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic, Bunting’s hearing with DOPS is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET today.

The play in question occurred at 15:40 of the second period when Bunting extended his upper arm into Černák’s head (video) while attempting to win a race for the puck, which resulted in the Lightning defender leaving the game and not returning. Earlier in the period, Černák had received a questionable roughing penalty for contact on Bunting after play had stopped.

First-round suspensions, along with series losses, are becoming an all-too-familiar refrain for the Maple Leafs. Former middle-six pivot Nazem Kadri was suspended for multiple games in both the 2018 and 2019 first-round losses against the Boston Bruins, while enforcer Kyle Clifford was suspended after a hit in Game 1 of last year’s loss against the Lightning.

The injury Černák sustained on the play will likely have some influence on Bunting’s punishment, and unfortunately for the Lightning, he’s not the only defenseman whose health is in question. Victor Hedman didn’t play the final two periods of the game with an undisclosed injury, forcing the Lightning to play with four defensemen, including rookies Nicklaus Perbix and Darren Raddysh, for the back half of the game.

While Bunting does have a history of playing on the edge, he’s yet to be suspended over the course of his 187-game NHL career. However, the NHL fined Bunting $2,000 in February for diving and embellishment.

With a suspension almost inevitable for Bunting, rookie winger Matthew Knies could make his playoff debut in Bunting’s place in Game 2 Thursday.

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