The Dallas Stars’ goalie shuffle continued on Tuesday as the team once again recalled Matt Murray from the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League in the wake of Scott Wedgewood’s injury.
Wedgewood left Saturday’s win in Chicago with a lower-body injury in the second period and did not return. Head coach Pete DeBoer gave a positive update on Wedgewood on Tuesday, but he will not play against the Los Angeles Kings.
“Good news from the testing,” DeBoer said. “It doesn’t look serious. He actually went for a skate this morning, so I think it’s short-term. You never know with setbacks and things like that, but overall positive news. I would call him day-to-day right now.”
Murray has been up and down between the NHL and the AHL all season. He has made 14 appearances for the Texas Stars and one start for Dallas, earning a shutout against the Minnesota Wild on January 8.
“It’s been great this year,” Murray told the media. “I definitely think I’ve taken some significant steps in my game. I feel a lot more comfortable at this level. I feel like this is a place where I can excel at, and I’m glad that I was able to have that opportunity in Minnesota to prove that.”
The move comes on the heels of the return of All-Star goalie Jake Oettinger, who rejoined the lineup for Friday’s loss to Nashville after missing about a month with an injury. While the All-Star should provide a huge lift, DeBoer said load management will be critical — especially with back-to-back road games this weekend.
“We want to avoid playing Jake in back-to-backs, for sure, based on what he’s come off,” DeBoer explained. “But we’re really taking it one game at a time. We want to get Jake rolling here and back up to speed and feeling good. We have some confidence in Murray based on how he played the other night that if he stays up with us, we have no problem putting him in the game in a back-to-back on this trip if Wedgie can’t go. … Our priority right now is to get Jake up to speed without putting him in situations where he could get hurt.”
Oettinger’s return comes at the right time, as the team is about to play five consecutive games against teams still fighting for playoff spots.
The Stars (25-12-5) host the Los Angeles Kings (21-11-8) at 7 p.m. CT on Tuesday at the American Airlines Center before heading on a four-game road trip.
