Oh boy. Matt Murray didn’t double down on knocking the net off. He tripled down. A rarely seen move that’s got him in hot water with hockey fans throughout the state of Minnesota.
During Friday night’s matchup between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Minnesota Wild, Murray dislodged the net on three separate occasions. And to think, just two nights before when the Leafs faced off against the Devils in Newark, New Jersey, Murray was enemy No.1 for the same reason.
I wrote a piece on why I think Murray is innocent of any wrongdoing. And I still believe that to be the case. Murray isn’t knocking the net off intentionally. But it’s happening with such a frequency that he’s put himself in a really tight spot.
There’s no way around it: Murray is on blast. Surely the NHL is paying attention, and I don’t think he will receive much leniency the next time he knocks the net off.
I’ve been there before. It’s a sinking feeling when you’re out there trying to do your job as a goaltender and the pegs fail. But at this point, I think Murray has to be more conscious of the post situation in every arena.
Against Minnesota, I don’t think Murray can be faulted for the first and third occurrences, but the second is tough to watch. Let me explain.