Matt Murray to return to Toronto Maple Leafs practice Wednesday; Ilya Samsonov considered week-to-week

Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Maple Leafs are getting closer to having a boost between the pipes.

Head coach Sheldon Keefe said Tuesday morning that goaltender Matt Murray, who has been out since opening night with an adductor injury, is expected to hit the ice Wednesday for practice. Murray was initially expected to miss a month, so this return pegs him back a week early.

The club also updated the status of Ilya Samsonov, who left a weekend game against the Boston Bruins. He, Keefe said, is considered week-to-week as he recovers from a knee injury.

As it stands, the Leafs are rolling with third-stringer Erik Kallgren as their starting goaltender and Keith Pertuzelli, who was signed from the AHL Marlies, as his backup.

It’s been far from a smooth start to the year for the Leafs. While Samsonov has showed very well going 6-2 with a .921 save percentage, the start of the season was clunky for the Leafs.

They went 4-4-2 in their first 10 games as the market lit up in frustration, but they’ve since strung together three straight wins, beating the Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes.

Toronto takes on the Vegas Golden Knights Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena for a 7 p.m. EST puckdrop.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.