Matt Murray had quite a long day on Thursday.
The veteran Maple Leafs goalie wasn’t complaining.
After the Leafs recalled Murray from the Toronto Marlies, the 30-year-old didn’t arrive in Toronto until 2 a.m on Friday after his flight out of San Francisco was delayed.
“My body is a little confused about what time it is right now,” Murray said after Leafs practice on Friday at the Ford Performance Centre. “Other than that, got a great sweat out there and will get some good quality rest at the hotel (in Ottawa on Friday night).”
Murray was in net for the Marlies’ win in Bakersfield, Calif., against the Condors on Wednesday and was in San Jose with the Marlies when he was summoned by the Leafs.
He has been on a terrific run in the American Hockey League, posting a league-best 1.68 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage.
“I started to find a bit of a rhythm and the team was playing well,” Murray said. “It was tough for me to get in there a little bit at the start of the season, we had so many bodies, so that maybe delayed things a little bit. The last seven, eight games, I’ve played the majority.
“You’re seeing more game reps, and it’s impossible to replicate in a practice what you see in a game. There’s a lot more chaos in a game. Playing a lot has definitely helped.”
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Whether Murray gets a start with the Leafs remains to be seen. There are no back-to-back sets in the near future and Anthony Stolarz is close to returning. One reason why the Leafs made the move, too, is that it was evident that Dennis Hildeby, who was sent to the Marlies, needed more playing time in the minors.
If Murray does get in, there will be an adjustment. The structure in the NHL easily betters anything in the AHL.
“That’s the one thing I’ll say that’s probably more difficult about the American League is a lot of broken plays, and a lot of times it’s hard to make reads because the puck is bouncing and it’s not necessarily going exactly where you think it’s going to go,” Murray said. “In the NHL, it’s at a quicker speed, and guys have more skill. It’s a lot different.”