Matt Murray does not get the welcome from fans that he was hoping for in his return to Ottawa
When a former player returns to a city for the first time with their new team, they're often met with love and respect, in the form of a loud applause or a standing ovation. In Matt Murray's case, however, there is no love lost between he and Sens fans apparently.
Last night's stop in Ottawa was Murray's first time playing his former Sens team since being traded to the Leafs this past summer. The Leafs have made a few prior stops in Ottawa this season, with the scheduled start belonging to Murray, however, a pair of injuries (adductor, ankle) prevented him from starting. When he stepped foot on the ice at Canadian Tire Centre last night, he wasn't met with applause or any type of respect from Sens fans. He was booed relentlessly. Thankfully, the Leafs' faithful in attendance did their best to cover up the boos with cheers.
Murray suited up for just 20 games last season as a member of the Senators. In those games, he managed to post a record of just 5-12-2, carrying a 3.05 GAA and a .906 SV%. In order to offload his contract, the Sens had to retain 25% of Murray's $6.25M salary and offer the Leafs two free draft picks as compensation for taking on the deal.
Murray and the Leafs went on to win last night's game in dramatic fashion, after blowing a 2-goal lead in the third period. Murray made a season-high 48 saves and stopped 6 in the shootout to pick up the win. While it wasn't the ideal outcome from a dominance perspective, the Buds did pick up the two points and Murray got the last laugh over his former team in their own arena.
| POLL | ||
19 MARS | 22 ANSWERS Matt Murray does not get the welcome from fans that he was hoping for in his return to Ottawa Are you concerned with Murray's recent run of play, allowing 4 goals in each of his last 6 games? | ||
| Yes | 14 | 63.6 % |
| No | 8 | 36.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
