Murray makes 42 saves as Admirals open series with 4-1 road win

Milwaukee grabbed the road-playoff script teams spend all year chasing: strike early, lean on elite goaltending, and make the opponent play catch-up. Matt Murray stopped 42 shots and the Admirals beat the Manitoba Moose 4-1 on Wednesday night at Canada Life Centre, taking Game 1 of their Central Division first-round series with a performance that immediately tilted the best-of-three.

The opening minutes did the real damage. Reid Schaefer redirected a Jordan Oesterle shot at 9:18 of the first period to put Milwaukee in front, and Brady Martin, making his AHL debut, scored less than three minutes later for his first professional goal. That 2-0 burst changed the tone of the night before Manitoba could settle into its home-ice rhythm. Martin, the Predators’ 2025 first-round pick out of the Soo Greyhounds, did not just get on the board. He gave Milwaukee immediate depth scoring in the kind of moment that can accelerate a young player’s rise in the organization.

Murray made sure the early lead held. His 42 saves tied his playoff career high and were the most by a Milwaukee goalie in a postseason game since Devin Cooley made 47 stops against Chicago in 2022. Manitoba fired 43 shots at him and outshot Milwaukee 10-7 in the first period, but the Admirals were already ahead on the scoreboard and never let the Moose turn volume into leverage. In a short series, that matters more than style points. A team that leads early does not have to chase matchups or squeeze offense out of desperation. It can stay patient and let the clock work.

Milwaukee added insurance in the second period when captain Kevin Gravel scored unassisted at 6:45 to make it 3-0. Cole O’Hara closed it out with an empty-net goal late in the third and finished with a two-point night, while Parker Ford supplied Manitoba’s lone goal. The Moose kept pressing, but the Admirals’ structure and Murray’s work in net blunted any real comeback push, including a late power-play flurry that never fully changed the momentum.

The win was Milwaukee’s first road Game 1 playoff victory since April 28, 2023, and that one also came against Manitoba. The clubs were meeting in the Calder Cup Playoffs for the third time in five years, a familiar pairing that has repeatedly rewarded the team that starts faster. Milwaukee did exactly that in 2023 with a 6-2 road win after three goals in the first 8:19, and this opener followed the same blueprint. Game 2 was set for Friday night in Winnipeg, with Game 3, if necessary, on Sunday, and the Admirals now hold the series edge that can turn a short round into a quick exit for the No. 4 seed Moose.