Leafs’ Murray out until after All-Star break with ankle injury

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Matt Murray will be out of the lineup until after the All-Star break due to an ankle injury, head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed Sunday, according to TSN's Mark Masters.

The Maple Leafs had scheduled Murray to start Friday's contest against the Ottawa Senators but moved him to the backup role after his injury flared up in warmups. The club plays two more games before entering the All-Star break.

Toronto doesn't expect Murray's ailment to be a long-term issue, Masters reports. An adductor injury sidelined the 28-year-old for 14 games earlier in the campaign.

The Leafs subsequently recalled goaltender Joseph Woll on an emergency basis from the AHL. The 24-year-old has posted a 12-1-0 record and a .928 save percentage with the Toronto Marlies this season.

Toronto faces the Washington Capitals on Sunday and the Boston Bruins on Wednesday.

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Penguins’ Sullivan: ‘I’ve gotta do a better job coaching these guys’

Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan took ownership of his team's inconsistent stretches throughout the campaign following yet another frustrating loss on Saturday.

"It's on all of us, it always is. It starts with me," he said following Pittsburgh's 6-4 defeat at the hands of the San Jose Sharks. "I've gotta do a better job coaching these guys and getting it out of them and making sure that the message is being heard.

"I think there’s been volatility in our game, and we've got to bring a consistent game every night ... and that's what we talk about with our guys a lot. We try to show them examples of what that looks like, when we're at our best. We've got to bring it more consistently, and when we do that, we're gonna give ourselves a chance to win on most nights."

The Penguins have stumbled into the break: They've only won consecutive games once since Christmas, and they'll have to try and shake off back-to-back losses when they return to action against the Colorado Avalanche on Feb. 7.

On top of that, the Penguins are in a dogfight of a playoff race, currently holding the second wild-card spot with a 24-16-9 record. But they only have a one-point advantage over the Buffalo Sabres, while the New York Islanders and Florida Panthers are two and three points behind, respectively.

There isn't much room for error if Pittsburgh wants to make the postseason for the 17th straight year, and Sullivan knows his squad has to be a tougher matchup for opposing teams down the stretch.

"We've got to do a better job, in my mind, at being harder to play against," he said. "We generate offense consistently, we score goals consistently. We've gotta do a better job keeping it out of our net ... and I think it starts with managing the puck.

"That goes through all four lines and our defense as well. We've gotta do a better job taking care of the puck, and I don't think we did a good job tonight. That was, I think, a direct result of some of the goals that were scored."

Sharks forward Mikey Eyssimont opened the scoring just 1:25 into Saturday's contest as the Penguins once again found themselves mired in a slow start, this time against a basement-dwelling team. Defenseman Erik Karlsson added insult to injury with a goal in the dying seconds of the opening frame.

Evgeni Malkin joined the fight with two goals and an assist, but Logan Couture ultimately dominated Pittsburgh with a five-point outing during the back-and-forth affair.

The Penguins now sit fifth in the Metropolitan Division, and veteran defenseman Kris Letang commented postgame on how difficult it is not to keep an eye on the standings with 33 games remaining in his team's campaign.

"When you're in that division, I think you're watching every day," he said. "One day you’re in the playoffs, and the other day you're not. It's a strong division. We have to make sure that we have a strong end of the season."

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Bowness calls out Jets after listless loss to Flyers

Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness was his team's harshest critic after a humbling 4-0 loss on home ice to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night.

"The difference makers, you couldn't even find them out there," Bowness said, per The Athletic's Murat Ates. "Until we make the commitment again that we want to play as a team, this is what you get."

Winnipeg's loss was its third in a row and fifth in 10 games. Philadelphia opened the scoring in the first period and finished the game with an advantage in scoring chances and expected goals at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Bowness said the Jets are reverting into last year's habits of late. Winnipeg missed the playoffs for the first time in four seasons in 2021-22, and longtime head coach Paul Maurice surprisingly stepped down from his post before the midway point of the campaign.

"Right now we’re going through a spell that as soon as the adversity kicks in, we’re going on our own program," Bowness said. "Which was the problem all of last year. We thought we had corrected it, now we have to correct it again, and we will."

He added: "This group knows how to win. There is a price to pay in this league: You have to work, you have to compete, and you have to do it every night. As the season progresses, it gets harder."

Despite a recent skid, the Jets are in prime position to qualify for the postseason with a 31-19-1 record. Winnipeg will take on the St. Louis Blues on Monday night for a final tuneup before the All-Star break.

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Blue Jackets claim Pederson off waivers from Canucks

The Columbus Blue Jackets claimed forward Lane Pederson off waivers from the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, the team announced.

Pederson recorded a goal and two assists in 11 games with the Canucks this season while averaging 12:50 per contest. The 25-year-old winger has tallied two goals and six helpers in 55 career NHL games between the Canucks, San Jose Sharks, and Arizona Coyotes.

The Canucks acquired Pederson and defenseman Ethan Bear from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a fifth-round pick in October.

The Blue Jackets placed forward Gustav Nyquist on injured reserve in a corresponding move. The veteran winger is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury.

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Post-Game: Canucks win, but lose Mikheyev for the season

Sat and Bik break down a 5-2 Canucks win over the Blue Jackets. Hear from GM Patrik Allvin talking to the media as he reveals that Ilya Mikheyev will need season-ending surgery. Also, hear from Rick Tocchet, Ilya Mikheyev, and other Canuck players.

This Podcast was produced by Josh Elliott-Wolfe.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate. 

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.