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Penguins’ Murray out ‘longer-term’ with lower-body injury

Washington Capitals v Pittsburgh Penguins - Game Six

PITTSBURGH, PA - MAY 07: Matt Murray #30 of the Pittsburgh Penguins makes a first period save while playing the Washington Capitals in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena on May 7, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

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Matt Murray is down for the count once again.

The Pittsburgh Penguins placed their starting goalie on injured reserve on Thursday, and it appears he could miss a lengthy period of time with a lower-body injury.

Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters that Murray will be sidelined “longer-term.” No official timeline was provided.

According to Sullivan, Murray has been dealing with the injury for the past couple of weeks, which could account for his poor run of form.

Murray was pulled on Saturday after giving up three goals on 10 shots to the Ottawa Senators.

He owns a 4-5-1 record with an abysmal .877 save percentage and a 4.08 goals-against average.

“This was not something that we expected,” Sullivan said.

The Penguins have recalled Tristan Jarry on an emergency basis. He will back up Casey DeSmith going forward.

Murray already missed time earlier this season with his third concussion in the past four years (and second in an eight-month span), so the silver lining here is that it wasn’t his fourth.

Murray has dealt with numerous injuries since becoming the starter in Pittsburgh in 2016-17.

A broken hand, a litany of lower-body injuries and his concussions have all limited him at one point or another, so this latest ailment just adds to the pile of frustration for Murray, the team and Pens fans.

Even with his struggles, Murray’s absence is an obvious blow for the struggling Penguins.

DeSmith will be called upon to shoulder much of the load. He has played well at times in relief, with a 4-3-3 record and a .924 save percentage.

Pittsburgh is 2-6-2 in their past 10 games.


Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck