Tavares just reached the 20-goal mark for the 15th time in his NHL career. Does the Leafs center get enough credit for his ability to score? Matt Murray had a great weekend in Manitoba with the Toronto Marlies. On Friday, the 30-year-old stopped all 23 shots he faced from the Manitoba Moose, helping the Marlies win 3-0. Murray also started in Sunday's game against the Moose, stopping all 32 shots, and the Marlies won 5-0. Murray has back-to-back shutouts and three on the season with the Marlies. The goaltender moves into a tie for second-best save percentage among goaltenders (.933) in the AHL this season, alongside Calgary Wranglers netminder Devin Cooley. Murray's 1.74 goals-against-average is the lowest among AHL goaltenders this season. "There's so many things out there that you don't control. So really, you just gotta focus on taking things one step at a time, one evolution at a time. The rest will kind of take care of itself," Murray told Marlies play-by-play commentator Todd Crocker on Sunday. "When the team plays in front of you the way they did these past couple of games, then obviously that helps big time as well. Kudos to the guys in front (of me). Heck of a two games and we're looking to keep that rolling here." [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AAfTFzFgAA[/embed] Murray is set to be the Marlies' number-one goaltender for the foreseeable future with Dennis Hildeby up with the Maple Leafs and Artur Akhtyamov out week-to-week with a lower-body injury. The Marlies have played two of their eight games on the Boat Show road trip and will return home after their matchup against the Bakersfield Condors on Feb. 1. They'll see a lot of Murray behind them, and his experience will benefit a younger AHL squad. "He's unflappable back there," Marlies head coach John Gruden told Crocker on Sunday. "And again, he's won a couple Stanley Cups, he's been around a long time, and it's contagious through the team and through the defense. It trickles down and I can't be more proud of him." Murray was called up to the Maple Leafs in mid-December, playing his first game in the NHL in nearly two years on Dec. 20, a 6-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres. The netminder didn't appear in an NHL lineup for 638 days after undergoing bilateral hip surgery in Sept. 2023. He played two games with the Maple Leafs — securing one win and a .879 save percentage — before being returned to the Marlies. Since returning to the AHL, the veteran goaltender has strung together three wins and a .935 save percentage through six games. Murray signed a one-year, $875,000 contract with the Maple Leafs on July 1. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjExNjM5NDEwNTc4NDM0MDI0/googlenews.svg] Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwytvfCA?ceid=CA:en&oc=3] to never miss a story.
