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Matt murray he got a taste of victory on Sunday for the first time this season.
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Sent to the club’s AHL affiliate in Belleville after approving the waivers two weeks ago, the Ottawa Senators goalkeeper made 26 saves in the club’s 3-2 win over the Bridgeport Islanders at Webster Bank Arena.
He was the head coach of Belleville Troy mann Game number 500 behind an AHL bench and the victory was a good reward for what was a special milestone.
Although the 27-year-old Murray was supposed to get dressed Friday night in Providence, Rhode Island, a minor injury kept him out of the net. He skated in practice Saturday in Pawtucket, RI and the expectation is that he will play the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Wednesday as the road trip continues.
Belleville’s Cedric Pare the winner scored at 4:49 pm of the third. Blueliner Lassi thomson tied at 10:01 of the third after Bridgeport had led 2-1. Ahead Andrew Agozzino opened the score just 33 seconds in the first period.
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It was Murray’s first victory since recording 31 saves in a 3-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks on April 22 last season at Rogers Arena.
The two-time Stanley Cup champion has not played in the AHL since he was with the AHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins in Scranton Wilkes-Barre in the 2015-16 campaign. He was last called up on February 19, 2016, and went on to help the Penguins carry the title.
Murray has been preparing for games with Belleville ever since he got there. He also stopped 30 of 33 shots in a 3-1 loss to Manitoba Moose on his debut. If all goes well on this long road trip, Murray could be back with Ottawa after the Christmas break, especially with Filip Gustavsson fighting.
A GOOD CUMSHOT
Nobody has enjoyed this section more than the goalkeeper Anton Forsberg.
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He posted his first career shutout with 25 stops in a 4-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday at the Canadian Tire Center and has now posted four straight wins.
There’s no reason to believe he’ll be going off the grid any time soon when the Senators begin this two-game road trip in Florida against the Panthers on Tuesday night. He picked up the exemptions last season, in part because Dorion had always liked Forsberg, he’s done a good job on this stretch.
“It was really nice to get a shutout just for the confidence,” Forsberg said. “I thought we played a really solid game for 60 minutes and we just have to keep building from here.”
Forsberg is 5-4-0 in the 10 games he has prepared this season. He has an average of 3.34 goals against and a save percentage of .904. He is the first goalkeeper to blank out the Bolts this season.
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“He’s been great since he came here last year,” said the winger. Connor brown he said on Saturday. “It is just stable. Every practice is solid. Every game he plays gives us a chance to win. He is a true professional and is a great goalkeeper. We feel good in front of him. “
Teams feed off a good goal and that has been the case for the Senators lately.
“It’s huge when you feel like your goalie is going to give you a great save when you need it or make the saves that he needs to make,” Brown added. “It gives you the feeling of confidence not to squeeze the stick too much in your own zone and execute.
“That often leads to a good record break and that’s something we did (against Tampa).”
FROM THE ZOTTO DOWN
After approving the waivers on Saturday, the defender Michael del zotto He is expected to join Belleville earlier this week.
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He was officially reassigned to Belleville on Sunday night.
Del Zotto, 31, signed as an unrestricted free agent in the offseason, has a one-way contract that will pay him $ 2 million per year until next season, but that doesn’t mean he’ll end up getting out of the deal in the minors.
Bluelines is considered a valuable asset and there will be teams that find themselves with injury problems that could take Del Zotto out of the hands of the Senators. Yes, Ottawa may have to pick up some money, another contract, or offer a draft pick sweetener, but don’t think Del Zotto will be banished to the minors forever.
He has two goals and six points in 10 games with the Senators and can still play at this level.
Senators have seven blueliners and can expect to see Jacob Bernard-Docker , who was called up from Belleville on Thursday, at one of the games in Florida.
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THE LAST WORDS
Defending Erik brannstrom , who broke his hand Nov. 11 against the Los Angeles Kings blocking a shot, is getting close to a comeback. Smith confirmed Saturday that Brannstrom has resumed skating and the hope is that he can start skating with the team after the Christmas break. If that happens, Brannstrom could play sometime in January … With his hat-trick on Saturday against the Bolts, the Ottawa captain Brady tkachuk he became the third member of his family to register one in the league. His father, Keith , had 10 during his career and brother Matthew Calgary Flames has one in his career … A key to Saturday’s victory was scoring two power play goals on four attempts, while the Lightning were limited to 0-for-5 with a man advantage. “When you win 2-0 on special teams, you should win most nights,” said the coach. Dj smith saying. “As good as our power game was, it’s as good as our penalty has been.”
Reference-ottawasun.com