Leafs goaltender injured; Keefe names starter for tomorrow's game against Buffalo
After a stellar 7-4 win over the Edmonton Oilers last night, the Toronto Maple Leafs were right back at practice Sunday morning before their matchup against the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night. Goaltender Matt Murray was assigned a tough assignment last night against superstar forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and of course the Oilers #1 powerplay (which is first amongst the entire NHL).
Murray was on the ice this morning with goalie coach Curtis Sanford but left as practice got underway. Although this seemed alarming, it looks as though all is still well with his health and he likely left practice to preserve himself for the busy next stretch of games.
As practice had concluded, Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed that Murray will be the starter Monday night, his second straight start. In his response, Keefe noted the importance of having both goalies playing down the stretch whilst also stating Ilya Samsonov "isn't quite 100 percent". This infers that Samsonov is possibly dealing with an injury and Leafs nation can expect a bit of load management over the next stretch of games.
With Murray still just recently returning from a month-long injury, it's a good idea to get him back into the flow of things before the playoffs kick-off. On the other hand, it's essential Samsonov is well rested for the Leafs playoff run that's quickly approaching, as he has had quite the workload this season.
Tomorrow's game against the Sabres marks the second time in the past few weeks these two teams meet. In their last matchup, the Leafs came out on top by a score of 6-3 capped off by a Ryan O'Reilly hat trick. The Leafs are catching the Sabres at the right time tomorrow night, as they are currently riding a four-game losing streak while the Leafs look to improve to three straight wins with a win tomorrow.
In 21 games played this season, Murray has a record of 12-6-2, a GAA of 2.86, and a SV% of 0.905. Despite the Sabres recent struggles, they know how to put the puck in the net. Murray will have to be strong and ready to go tomorrow night after allowing four goals in each of his last two starts.
Credit: hockeydb.com
| POLL | ||
MARS 12 | 239 ANSWERS Leafs goaltender injured; Keefe names starter for tomorrow's game against Buffalo Will Matt Murray earn his second straight win tomorrow night? | ||
| Yes, Go Leafs! | 147 | 61.5 % |
| No, hasn't been good enough | 92 | 38.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
