Keefe reveals Matt Murray's status for Saturday's game against Vancouver and it's not good news
Matt Murray has been out of action for more than a month dealing with an adductor injury. He's made great progress in the last couple of weeks and took part in his first couple of practices with the team this week.
He said himself that he is now "day-to-day" and there was talk of him possibly playing Saturday. However, following their 4-2 loss to the Penguins Friday night, Sheldon Keefe shot down that idea and said that Murray will not be playing Saturday.
Further to saying Murray won't play, Keefe also said they haven't made a decision on whether Erik Kallgren or Keith Petruzzelli will start against Vancouver. As much as the Leafs want Murray back, especially with Ilya Samsonov out, not rushing him back is the smart play, particularly with his recent injury history.
Murray should still make his return at some point next week as long as he continues to progress. As for the game against Vancouver, it's fairly rare in today's NHL to see a goalie start both games on back-to-back nights. However, given how disappointed he was in himself in Friday's loss, Keefe could turn right back to Kallgren on Saturday to help boost his confidence, especially since he was not all that busy on Friday against the Pens, only facing 22 shots in the contest.
If Kallgren needs a day to rest and reset himself, Petruzzelli could make his NHL debut after an impressive 6-0-0 start to his season with the Toronto Marlies.
| POLL | ||
12 NOVEMBRE | 242 ANSWERS Keefe reveals Matt Murray's status for Saturday's game against Vancouver and it's not good news Who should the Leafs start against the Canucks tonight? | ||
| Kallgren | 52 | 21.5 % |
| Petruzzelli | 190 | 78.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
