Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Toronto Goaltending Questioned

03/18/2023 at 10:10am EDT

from Luke Fox of Sportnet,

A quick mix of the things we gleaned from the week of hockey, serious and less so, and rolling four lines deep. Can’t wait to read fans debate the slow-motion video review ruling of a puck that may or may not have been deflected over the glass!

1. There is the mathematical assessment, and then there is the verbal assessment.

Let’s present both.

Here are the save percentages Matt Murray has recorded in his past five starts: .862, .846, .833, .500, .882.

Here is Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe’s assessment of Murray since his return from an ankle injury that kept him out of action for a month and a half: “I think he’s been great. The numbers look terrible. But again, here (Wednesday) night, I thought he was really good. I mean, there’s four tap-ins.”

We get it.

GM Kyle Dubas doubled down on his tandem at the deadline: “I am very confident in our goaltenders.”

It’s imperative the Toronto Maple Leafs — who don’t dress an Andrei Vasilevskiy- or Connor Hellebuyck-type workhorse — need a healthy and confident tandem heading into the post-season, and it serves the organization no good to publicly criticize any key player who needs to find his groove.

But a goalie cannot allow four goals in five straight starts – as Murray has for the first time in his eight-year career – and expect to be The Man when it matters. (Murray is free to mute all criticism with the two Stanley Cup rings plugging his ears.)

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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