The Toronto Maple Leafs are in a bind. They are still winless through three games in the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Florida Panthers following their 3-2 overtime loss on the road Sunday night. On the verge of elimination, Toronto also now has to deal with a new injury to its goalie room, with netminder Ilya Samsonov leaving midway Game 3 with an injury.
If Samsonov won't be healthy in time for Game 4, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe will likely give Joseph Woll a start, but that doesn't mean Matt Murray is already out of the picture. Toronto inserted Woll into the action in Game 3 after Samsonov's departure but drew a letdown performance from the backup, as he gave up three goals on 21 shots faced.
“He’s been cleared, he’s healthy,” Keefe said about Matt Murray when asked about the goalie's chances to play in Game 4, per David Alter of Sports Illustrated.
Murray has not seen action to date in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He suffered a head injury last April during a game against the Detroit Red Wings. The Maple Leafs acquired the two-time Stanley Cup champion via a trade with the Ottawa Senators last summer. Murray posted a 14-8-2 record with a 3.01 GAA and .903 saves percentage back in the 2022-23 NHL regular season.
Murray can be an iffy option for the Maple Leafs for an ultra-crucial Game 4, considering his long absence from the ice and the fact that in two starts this season versus the Panthers, he gave up six goals on 43 shots faced.
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