The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that goalie Matt Murray is sidelined indefinitely with an upper-body injury. Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan made the announcement after Wednesday’s practice. Murray could miss the Penguins’ game on Thursday at the Florida Panthers.
Matt Murray: Missed today's practice and is being evaluated for an upper-body injury. https://t.co/SjKH4k4pmV #nhl #HockeyTwitter #LetsGoPens
— Left Wing Lock (@Left_Wing_Lock) February 6, 2019
Matt Murray Injured
It’s not known when Murray got hurt exactly. He totaled 28 saves on 31 shots in the Penguins’ 4-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night. Sullivan specified that Murray would travel with the team and his injury is not a concussion.
The Thunder Bay, Ontario native is 15-9-1 in 26 games this season. He has a 2.97 goals-against-average and .909 save percentage. Murray also has three shutouts so far in 2018-19.
The 24-year-old netminder has only played for the Pittsburgh Penguins in his four-year NHL career. He has a career record of 83-37-9 with a .915 save percentage and 2.66 goals-against-average. Pittsburgh drafted Murray in the third round, 83rd overall of the 2012 NHL draft.
This is the third time that Murray has been injured this season. He missed a game in October with a concussion and four weeks with a lower-body injury before returning in the middle of December.
What This Means for the Future
Casey DeSmith will start as long as Murray is gone and Tristan Jarry may return to be the backup. Murray has played well since returning from injury as he’s 11-4-0 with a .933 save percentage.
DeSmith has struggled in recent weeks as he finally snapped a three-game losing streak with a 5-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Friday. He stopped 37 saves in the win. Missing Murray for any extended time will hurt Pittsburgh in their quest to get back to the Stanley Cup Final.
There is some good news and Evgeni Malkin and Justin Schultz are traveling with the team. Malkin, who is out with an upper-body injury, practiced on Wednesday while Schultz did not. Schultz has been out with a leg injury.
OTTAWA, ON – NOVEMBER 17: Pittsburgh Penguins Goalie Matt Murray (30) prepares for a face-off during first period National Hockey League action between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators on November 17, 2018, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
