It was a difficult Saturday night for Matt Murray in the Toronto Maple Leafs' net. The 30-year-old allowed four goals on 31 shots against the Washington Capitals in his second NHL game since Apr. 2, 2023.

Murray made his first NHL start in more than 600 days on Friday in Buffalo, where he turned aside 24 of 27 shots in the win. The 30-year-old also has a 1.85 GAA and a .939 SV% in eight appearances with the Marlies.

But lo and behold, the 30-year-old is readying to be recalled to the Toronto Maple Leafs, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. If he does get recalled, he'll likely get almost immediate action as the presumptive starting netminder for either Friday's game against the Buffalo Sabres or Saturday against the New York Islanders.

It was a long time coming for Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Matt Murray, who finally played in his first NHL contest since April of 2023 when he was hurt against the Detroit Red Wings. Murray made 25 saves in his first NHL win in nearly 25 months,

Although it was a great story for Matt Murray when he returned, the veteran struggled and ended up being demoted back to the Toronto Marlies on Monday.

The Maple Leafs likely will be without captain Auston Matthews for at least the next two games, although the star center is said to be doing better as he recovers from an upper-body injury.

The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without captain Auston Matthews for at least the next two games as the star center continues to nurse an upper-body injury, NHL.com reported Friday. Matthews, 27, has missed Toronto's last two games and will sit out Friday's contest at Detroit and Saturday's home showdown against Washington.