Murray after lopsided loss: 'This one’s on me' - TSN

TSN.ca Staff

There’s no getting around it – Matt Murray’s start with the Ottawa Senators has not been a smooth one.

After being acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in October, the 26-year-old has a goals-against average of 3.82, a save percentage of .878 and a league-leading nine losses.

Thursday night might have been the low point as Murray allowed six goals on 26 shots in a 7-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs after replacing an injured Marcus Hogberg, who departed with a lower-body injury in the first period.

Murray was quick to take ownership of his poor play after the game.

“This one’s on me,” Murray told reporters. “If I just do a better job coming in and keeping the team in, if I do a better job, who knows what happens.”

“I’ve got to do a better job keeping my team in it. I feel bad for this one. Sure, it’s tough going in like that. But that’s not an excuse. I could have done a whole lot better job and given us a better chance to win.”

Murray had been playing better of late, recording a save percentage of .929 over his past six games before Thursday. But first-period goals less than three minutes apart from Joe Thornton and Auston Matthews, respectively, put the Sens in a 3-1 hole and Toronto never looked back. 

"We had legs, we were flying in the first period," Senators coach D.J. Smith said. "I just think they got a couple early and I think we got away from the way we have to play. We got sloppy. We gave them too much room to play. The positive was in the third period we got back to playing the way we do."

“They capitalized on their chances. They were moving their feet and we gave them too much time and space. With top-end players, when you give them too much time and space, they’re going to make things happen,” Sens forward Connor Brown said.

Ottawa has now lost two straight after their spirited come-from-behind victory over the Leafs Monday night and sit last in the North Division at 4-14-1. They will be back in action against the Montreal Canadiens Sunday evening.​

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2021-02-19 14:38:08Z
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