When the Penguins welcome Matt Murray back to Pittsburgh Thursday evening for the first time since he was traded to Ottawa last October, he won't be watching his tribute video from the Senators' crease.
Murray is on the Senators road trip, having traveled with the team on Wednesday, but he won't be in net against his former team as he deals with a non-COVID illness.
“I know he wanted to play against Pittsburgh and he talked to (Ottawa goaltending coach coach) Zac Bierk about playing in Pittsburgh,” Senators coach D.J. Smith told the Ottawa Sun Wednesday. “It’s unfortunate, it’s going around. (Nick Holden) had this a little bit and now Murray has a little bit of sickness There's nothing you could do."
Murray did skate on Thursday morning and could potentially dress as backup, but it'll be Anton Forsberg in net to start.
Tristan Jarry had said following Wednesday's practice that he had hoped Murray would start in Thursday's meeting between the two teams.
"We went through the organization together, he was a huge part of this organization," Jarry said. "You see what he did, and he brought the organization to a Cup. So I think he was a big part of it. I think it's great that he gets to come back here, and hopefully he gets to play. He was a great friend. He showed me a lot, and just being able to move up through him and learn from him was great."
Mike Sullivan spoke on Wednesday about the level of respect he has for Murray and his game after he came up from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with Murray around the same time.
"He was a big part of the Stanley Cup championships that we won here," Sullivan said. "We went through a lot together. I coached him in Wilkes-Barre, I coached him again, obviously in Pittsburgh. So Matt and I have been through a lot over the years, I have so much respect for Matt and what he's accomplished."
Murray's time in Ottawa since being traded by the Penguins has had its ups and downs.
Murray signed a four-year extension with the Senators shortly after the trade worth a total of $25 million. In his first season in Ottawa he posted a losing record (10-13-1) for the first time in his career, as well as a career-low save percentage of .893 and a career-high goals-against average of 3.38.
Murray started this season 0-5 in his first six appearances, recording an .890 save percentage.
The Senators put a struggling Murray on waivers in late November with the intention of having him playing for their AHL affiliate in Belleville to get his game back. He cleared waivers and was assigned to Belleville, but only appeared in two games in the AHL as COVID issues in the AHL forced a series of postponements. He was recalled from Belleville on Dec. 28, and has played in three games sense, going 2-1 with an .895 save percentage.
Sullivan said that since the trade, he's rooted for Murray "from a distance," as long as he isn't playing against the Penguins.
"Certainly, you know, he's a guy that that I care about," Sullivan said. "He's a good person. He was a great teammate when he was here. This is just all part of pro sports, you know, it's not anything unusual with respect to this stuff. We've had guys that have played on our Stanley Cup teams that for one reason or another end up on on other teams, this is just the reality of the business that we chose. The human element of it never goes away, because you build relationships with the players and and you care about them. You want what's best for them."
MORE FROM THE SKATE
• It was an optional skate. Participants included Louis Domingue, Casey DeSmith, Evgeni Malkin, Mike Matheson, Marcus Pettersson, Danton Heinen, Chad Ruhwedel, Mark Friedman, Radim Zohorna, Zach Aston-Reese, Brian Boyle, Teddy Blueger.
• Jarry will start.
• Domingue took a shot from Boyle off of the inside of one of his feet toward the end of the skate and was down on the ice in pain, eventually limping to the bench. He skated to the bench and spoke with trainer Chris Stewart for awhile, at times skating around in a circle, putting weight on both feet. He eventually left the ice without getting back in net. Sullivan said afterward that Domingue had initially been scheduled to back up, but now was being evaluated for an undisclosed injury. After the skate, Domingue was added to injured reserve.
• Jason Zucker was also added to injured reserve after the skate. It's not clear why. He was a full participant in Wednesday's practice.
• The Senators didn't have a skate.
• DeSmith, Heinen, and Aston-Reese are out of COVID protocol but based on Wednesday's practice combinations, aren't necessarily ready for a return yet. Sullivan said Thursday that they'll be game-time decisions
