Well, that was a terrible first period for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
It’s not just that they’re currently down 3-0 against their rival the Washington Capitals on NBCSN.
It’s how they fell behind 3-0 that stings. In the case of Matt Murray, that’s meant literally; watch him taking Evgeni Malkin’s errant stick to his face - which was not protected by his mask - during a scrum that was just a mess.
At that point, it was 2-0 for Washington late in the opening frame thanks in part to a Nicklas Backstrom goal that probably hurts Murray almost as much as that Malkin high-stick.
In another example of a goalie allowing a goal moments after “going in cold,” Marc-Andre Fleury saw his team go down 3-0 thanks to this tally:
Woof.
It’s too early to tell if Murray is actually hurt or not. The way things have been going for prominent players lately, you can’t blame the Penguins if they’re nervous.
Murray did not return to the ice to start the second period, but the score could conceivably play a role in that decision. We’ll see if there are additional updates.