Senators get Murray back after 13-game injury absence

Ottawa Senators goaltender Matt Murray will start against the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday night, Senators head coach D.J. Smith confirmed after the team's morning skate.

Murray has missed Ottawa's last 13 games with an upper-body injury. He suffered it during the pregame warmup on March 14 before the Senators faced the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Anton Forsberg has taken the club's goaltending reins since then, going 2-3-1 with a .910 save percentage and 0.72 goals saved above average over six games. Joey Daccord earned a victory with a 33-save effort in that March 14 contest, but he suffered an injury three nights later that Ottawa general manager Pierre Dorion subsequently said was likely season-ending.

Murray struggled mightily for a lackluster Senators squad before suffering his injury. The soon-to-be 27-year-old has gone 7-12-1 with a .880 save percentage in 22 games this campaign.

He posted minus-16.06 goals saved above average and minus-19.04 goals saved above expected in those contests, according to Evolving Hockey. Only Philadelphia Flyers netminder Carter Hart has been worse in those categories among all NHL puck-stoppers in 2021.

The Pittsburgh Penguins traded Murray to the Senators for a second-round pick and prospect Jonathan Gruden in October. The Penguins used the pick to select goalie Joel Blomqvist. Two days later, the Senators signed Murray to a four-year contract extension carrying a $6.25-million cap hit.

Murray helped the Penguins win back-to-back championships in 2016 and 2017.