A buddy and I were rehashing the Penguins’ scintillating Game 2 triumph over Tampa Bay when the subject turned to goalie Matt Murray.
My friend commented that Murray seemed “off.”
I agreed.
Not that the kid didn’t tough it out and make some huge saves. He’s got a wonderful mental makeup—a resilience between the pipes that his teammates revere.
“Matt is a mental rock back there,” Ben Lovejoy told Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “He’s able to put goals behind him. He does an amazing job of just stopping the next puck.”
Count black-and-gold coach Mike Sullivan among Murray’s staunchest supporters.
Still, if recent trends are an indication, foes are beginning to solve the Murray riddle. While his overall postseason numbers are terrific (2.14 GAA, .928 SV%), there’s been a noticeable dip in his recent performances. To the tune of a sub-pedestrian .888 save percentage over his past four starts.
Indeed, pucks are popping off the rookie’s pads with greater frequency. Shots are sailing past his suddenly suspect glove hand. While positionally sound, No. 30’s had difficulty at times moving laterally.
Which made me think of Marc-Andre Fleury. Nobody moves post-to-post like “Flower.”
Nobody.
It also touched on a white elephant of sorts that’s been hiding in plain sight at the far end of the Penguins’ bench for the past 11 games.
Is it time to switch goalies and go with Fleury?
No doubt last season’s team MVP is itching to play. You can see the competitive passion flare in his dark brown eyes as he waits, patiently, for his chance.
Up till now, I’ve been supportive of Sullivan’s decision to ride Murray. However, as I mentioned in my previous post, I’d have been tempted to pull the Thunder Bay native after he leaked for two quick goals on Monday night to let the air out of an early Penguins thrust. Not to mention the Consol Energy Center crowd.
Of course, making a change—especially at such a sensitive juncture—is fraught with risk. Fleury hasn’t seen game action since absorbing a James Neal bomb flush on the mask back on March 31. That’s roughly seven weeks. One can only imagine the patina that’s accumulated on No. 29’s normally exquisite reflexes. Not to mention his overall game.
The fact that the ultra-popular goalie was having difficulty tracking pucks in practice during the early stages of his recovery process?
A major concern.
Then there’s Fleury’s checkered postseason history. Perhaps unfairly, memories of playoff failures past remain shackled to the former No. 1 pick like the eternal chains that bind Jacob Marley’s ghost in A Christmas Carol. Flower’s been equal parts brilliant (’08, ’15), so-so (’09, ’11, ’14), and porous (’06, ’10, ’12, ’13) in postseason play over the course of an otherwise exemplary 12-year NHL career.
His recent performance—especially since working with goaltender coach Mike Bales—suggests he’s a different goalie. Mentally tougher. One who’s exorcised the playoff demons and “Fleury Follies” that so often plagued him mid-career.
Can we be sure?
Now is an awfully dicey time to find out. Tied at 1-1, the Tampa Bay series is still very much up for grabs. One false move could provide a tipping point…in the wrong direction.
It’s not like Murray’s stinking out the joint. Modest stats aside, he’s still winning.
Getting back to my original question. Do the Penguins switch goalies for Game 3?
With all due respect to Fleury, I say no.
What do you think?
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Assists for this article go to PenguinPoop founding father Phil Krundle, who suggested it, and Dave Karpinski, who supplied the conversational tinder.
I never knew the ghost of Bob Marley was in A Christmas Carol. All joking aside, let’s go pens!!!
I’m soooooooo embarrassed.
I meant Jacob Marley, of course … 🙂
Glad I wasn’t waiting in vain for a reply! I figured you knew, but it still made my day. Here’s to a great game tonight!! 🐧
Thanks so much for the catch … 🙂
Believe it or not, when I initially posted the article I did check myself on Google. And I swear it came back with Bob Marley and “A Christmas Carol.”
Probably just my eyes…or fevered imagination…playing tricks on me. Unless Bob Marley did a rasta version of the Dickens’ classic … 🙂
Thanks again, for the catch. GO PENS!
Hi Rick,
Let him stay. MAF has other issues and Tampa has no fear of him….
I agree with what Coach said. It’s the 18 guys in front of him we should be focusing on.Plus the PP.
Furthermore,the increase in his numbers are due to the increase in the Level of competition the Pen’s are now facing. A lot of these goals scored on him were because other Super star players missed their assignments and he was left a lone.Plus the Bolts are a team of Giants and were put together to specifically handle the rough play in the Western conference.
The Pens were not. We would be a different Team if we had a Victor Hedman on our team with his size and speed to handle the other Big players on the Bolts..
Let him play !!!!!
JIM
Hey Jim,
All good points. I agree!
Great game last night…couldn’t have been more impressed with our boys. Murray was super-sharp when he needed to be.
GO PENS!
Rick
Dance with what brung ya.
Hey Rick,
Sorry to poo poo the idea but changing horses in mid stream is a recipe for disaster. Even giving voice to the idea is not a very good idea. A good portion of the goals he has given up in this “Slump” of his have come on the PP. Even in the loss in game one Murray made an unreal save on a bang-bang, post-to-post play in the forst period with his glove.
Furthermore in this “slump” of his, he has lost 2 games out of what 4 games? And in those loses the team managed a goal a game. A far more salient question than should the team do the ridiculous and switch goalies, the question should be where is the scoring? When a team is scoring with an eye-dropper the pressure goes through the roof on a goalie to be perfect.
Sullivan’s number one task should not be worrying about Murray, but worrying about his forwards as they are no longer fearlessly driving the net and making their living in the dirty areas. Sullivan needs to re-school his team in the art of shooting the wrist shot, which can get off a whole lot faster than those booming slap shots that take so long to go off that the entire other team has time to throw themselves in front of.
No, sorry to take an oppositional stance to even asking this question but a team that scores only 1 goal, even in a play-off game, is bound to be a losing team. The best course of action is to start getting the puck on net quickly and drive for rebounds. This will start getting the Pens the first goal and change the whole dynamic of the games, putting Tampa Bay on their heels. Worrying about goaltending is for teams playing to not lose rather than for teams playing to win. I have always believed in playing to win!
Go Pens!!!
I’ve been supportive of Murray all along.I think he’s starting drop tho. If you are gonna make a switch, now would be the time.
No
, I love Penguins!