Matt Murray's Success, Dennis Hildeby's Struggles Lead to Major Shakeup in Goal for Leafs
Dennis Hildeby struggled against Columbus Wednesday while Matt Murray won 4 in a row with the Marlies, leading the Leafs to make a change in goal.
The last time we saw Matt Murray in a Leafs jersey, he blamed himself for the 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals in December. Subsequently, he was sent down to the AHL due to his shaky performance and the Leafs recalled rookie Dennis Hildeby to replace him.
Hildeby has done more bench-warming than playing in his time with the Leafs, playing on January 5th, January 11th and then again on Wednesday against Columbus, being shelled for a second time by the Blue Jackets this season.
In two starts against Columbus, Hildeby has given up 10 goals on 56 total shots and while he took the blame for his performance last night, the development plan from the Leafs' perspective is to get him into more games with the Marlies. Thus, Murray has been recalled on Thursday, with Hildeby being sent back down to the American Hockey League.
Murray also played last night, making 18 saves in the Marlies' 3-1 victory and notching his fourth win in a row, which included consecutive shutouts over the weekend.
Since being sent down at the end of December, Murray only holds a 4-3 record, but currently leads the AHL with a 1.68 GAA and is second with a .934 save percentage. The call up is well-deserved.
Consistency has been a key to Murray's recent success with the Marlies, but with Anthony Stolarz still working his way back from knee surgery and the Leafs being cautious with Joseph Woll's workload and practice regimen, it's high time for Murray to get another shot with the Leafs.
The 30-year-old signed a 1-year 'prove it' deal with the Leafs in July to show the Leafs and NHL teams that he can, at the very least, be a serviceable NHL backup. Although he stumbled in his return to the NHL after a minor injury, Murray appears ready for a longer, more consistent look this time around, while Hildeby could certainly use some more playing time after playing just three times since January 1st.
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