NHL News: Bolts Point back, Sens recall Murray, and Panthers expect Barkov against Rangers
Anthony Scultore
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Brayden Point was injured during a 5-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils back in November. He crashed hard into the wall in the third period after being tripped and immediately grabbed near his left shoulder and collarbone. Tampa announced that he would be out 4-6 weeks.
Today, Point was cleared and will face the Montreal Canadiens as the NHL resumes play.
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Brayden Point back
“Point will be in tonight, so excited for that,” assistant coach Derek Lalonde said as head coach Jon Cooper remains on COVID protocol.
Point signed an eight-year, $76 million extension in July. The deal begins with the 2022-23 campaign and keeps Point under contract through the 2029-30 season. He has seven goals and six assists in 16 games.
The 25-year-old Point has been a key cog on Tampa Bay’s back-to-back Stanley Cup championship teams. He has 146 goals and 177 assists (323 points) in 367 games over five-plus seasons with the Lightning.
Senators recall Matt Murray
Matt Murray and the Ottawa Senators did not expect for things to go the way they did, but in late November he was placed on waivers and sent to their AHL affiliate.
Today, he was recalled.
“Honestly, I wasn’t looking at it as a reset, looking at it as keep going, try to keep building off positives and try to keep hardening up my game,” Murray said about being sent down. “That’s what I feel like I did. Bit choppy with all the COVID stuff going on, but that’s out of everybody’s hands. So tried to make the most out of it.”
Murray, 27, signed a 4 year extension worth $6.25 after he was acquired from the Penguins before the start of last season. So far in Ottawa he has a 10-18-1 record with a GAA of 3.35 and SV% of just .892 in 33 appearances.
Panthers expect to have Barkov back
Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov suffered a knee injury in a 6-1 over the New York Islanders on November 16. Fortunately, the collision with defenseman Scott Mayfield didn’t require surgery and he was listed as week-to-week.
The Panthers captain has been skating and could be green lighted for their game on Wednesday against the New York Rangers.
“He looked good,” Panthers coach Andrew Brunette said. “I think he’s ready to go. It was good to get him these couple practices in. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow and make a decision based on that.”
Barkov, 26, has nine goals and 17 points in 15 games this season. He has 482 points (190 goals, 292 assists) in 544 games with the team since his 2013 debut.
