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Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins goaltender Matt Murray was selected as the CCM/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Mar. 8, for a string of starts that led to a new league record.
Murray rewrote the AHL record book last week while helping keep the Penguins in the race for the lead in the East Division.
Murray stopped all 32 shots in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s 3-0 win at league-leading Manchester on Saturday afternoon. It was his fourth consecutive shutout and his ninth of the year, tying a 72-year-old record for the most in a season by an AHL rookie goaltender. Then on Sunday in Springfield, Murray established an all-time league mark by extending his shutout streak to 304 minutes and 11 seconds – more than 35 minutes better than the previous record – and finished with 32 saves in a 4-1 victory over the Falcons, his seventh win in a row and 11th in his last 12 decisions.
In 30 appearances for the Penguins this season, Murray is 18-8-2 and leads the AHL in goals-against average (1.57), save percentage (.940) and shutouts (nine). A third-round draft pick by Pittsburgh in 2012, the 20-year-old rookie from Thunder Bay, Ont., played four junior seasons at Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) before making his professional debut with Wilkes-Barre at the end of the 2013-14 campaign.
In recognition of his achievement, Murray will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Penguins home game.
This marks the second time in four weeks that Murray has earned Player of the Week honors. He was also named CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month for February after allowing one goal in four starts and recording three shutouts.
Pens sign veteran defenseman
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton signed defenseman Danny Syvret to a professional tryout agreement (PTO) on Monday.
The 10-year veteran appeared in 58 games this year for the Iowa Wild, recording four goals, 14 assists and 18 penalty minutes. Last season, Syvret led Hartford in both assists (37) and points (46) and was the only Wolf Pack player to appear in all 76 games.
Syvret, 29, has skated in 617 AHL contests and compiled 59 goals, 257 assists and 301 PIM. He was named to the First-Team AHL All-Star squad and also selected to the AHL All-Star Classic during the 2008-09 season, in which he posted 57 points (12G-45A) in 76 contests for the Philadelphia Phantoms.