As much as a 7-1 loss to the Washington Capitals hurts, at least the Pittsburgh Penguins dodged a bullet regarding goalie Matt Murray.
The Stanley Cup-winning netminder left late in the third period when Evgeni Malkin accidentally high-sticked him (without his mask on) during a scrum. Murray didn’t return to the game, leading to speculation that he might be injured.
Well, there’s some good news on an otherwise dreary night for the Penguins: Murray says he’s “fine.” He went through concussion protocol but could have returned, only head coach Mike Sullivan decided to stick with Marc-Andre Fleury, according to various reporters including the AP’s Stephen Whyno.
You can see that cringe-worthy moment in the video above. Would the Penguins have fared better if they went back to Murray? Considering the fact that they still only managed a meaningless Phil Kessel goal against Washington, it seems silly to lose any sleep over questions like that.
But, hey, the Penguins don’t have to lose sleep about Murray, so that’s a win.