After taking a puck to the head in practice yesterday, Matt Murray has been diagnosed with a concussion. The Pittsburgh Penguins will have to go with Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith for the time being, starting tonight when they welcome the New Jersey Devils to town.
This is terrible timing for the Penguins as they fight to stay in the top three spots in the Metropolitan Division. The Philadelphia Flyers, on another one of their extended winning streaks, have claimed the very top spot ahead of the Washington Capitals while the Devils are nipping at the Penguins’ heels. With just 19 games left, the idea of having Murray sit out for any length of time could be devastating to their playoff seeding.
In the meantime, Jarry will likely be asked to carry much of the load as he did earlier in the year when Murray was injured. The 22-year old rookie has a .916 save percentage on the season through 20 appearances, and could even be asked to step into a playoff start should Murray’s injury history flare up again in the postseason. While the Penguins feel confident in his and DeSmith’s play, it’s tough to rely solely on rookie goaltenders at this late stage of the season.
Murray has not had a season to remember in his first chance as the unquestioned starter. After Marc-Andre Fleury departed to Vegas in the offseason, Murray has only been able to start 37 games and is carrying easily the worst save percentage of his career at .909. There’s no telling how a concussion will affect him down the stretch, but the Penguins will hope he can get back for the playoffs where he has a .928 save percentage—and two Stanley Cups—through his first two seasons in the league.