Murray or Fleury: Should the Penguins Switch Goalies?

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.