The Toronto Maple Leafs not only lost what would have been an extremely valuable two points in their quest for home ice in the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs during last night’s game against the Original 6 rival Detroit Red Wings, but also lost goaltender Matt Murray to yet another injury.
The latest setback for Murray was a freak accident that took place during the 1st period, as Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond blew a tire and slid accidentally into Murray, flipping him onto his back and also hitting his head on the ice. Murray left the game and was replaced by Ilya Samsonov.
As far as an update on Murray’s current status, head coach Sheldon Keefe said that fans can expect one as soon as tomorrow.
“I have no update,” he said talking about this morning. “We will get you for you probably on Tuesday.”
Murray struck the back of his head on the ice; was he removed from the game by a concussion spotter?
“I am not exactly sure, “Keefe answered. “I was told it was mandatory that he had to come off of the ice.”
In the meantime, the Leafs are dealing with the harsh reality of the fact that Murray is simply an injury prone player at this point in his career, even thought this latest incident was out of his hands.
“I don’t know,” Keefe said when asked what was going through his mind. “It was in the hands of the trainers. They’ll deal with it. He’ll bounce back, and Sammy will go.”
The Leafs are back in action tomorrow night in what will be an extremely winnable game against the hapless Columbus Blue Jackets at Scotiabank Arena in downtown Toronto. Game time is set for 7:00 PM EST.