Back in the day, before the evils of smoking were fully understood, a popular cigarette brand used to boast, “Tareyton smokers would rather fight than switch!”
Mind you, I’m not trying to start a battle among Penguins faithful. But I thought I’d revisit my “Murray or Fleury” query from May 18.
I’ll ask again. Should the Penguins switch goalies and go with Marc-Andre Fleury in Game 5?
Personally, I’m going to change my stance and say ‘yes.’
While you can hardly fault Matt Murray for the Pens’ Game 4 loss, there’s no denying his play has slipped a bit. Over his past six starts the kid’s posted a 2.99 goals against average and .892 save percentage, along with three wins and three losses.
In his first seven postseason starts? Murray recorded a sparkling 1.81 goals against average to go with a stunning .944 save percentage. Not to mention six victories in those seven starts.
True, statistics don’t tell the whole story. Such as a gradual step-up in the quality of opponents, for one. Or the way the Pens are playing in front of him. But in this case the numbers don’t lie.
Neither does the eye test. With the notable exception of Game 3, Murray hasn’t looked as sharp.
Could the reed-thin youngster be wearing down under the heavy playoff grind?
Possibly.
Keep in mind, Murray virtually split the goaltending chores with Jeff Zatkoff at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2014-15 when he set the AHL on its collective ear as a rookie pro. This season he shared the Baby Pens’ net with Tristan Jarry before earning a promotion to the NHL.
Unlike Fleury, who averaged nearly 60 games a season since 2005-06 not counting the playoffs, Murray’s never logged a huge workload. The Thunder Bay native topped out at 53 regular-season games as an 18 year old with Sault Ste. Marie.
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Poop Update: Penguins coach Mike Sullivan named Fleury as the Penguins’ starter for Game 5.
Daley Out with a Broken Ankle
Defenseman Trevor Daley won’t be making a miraculous recovery for Game 5. Or any time soon.
The mobile Pens defender suffered a broken left ankle midway through Game 4 on a check by Tampa Bay’s Ryan Callahan.
“He’s a tough guy to replace,” Sullivan said. “He’s a real good player. He’s really helped change our team since he’s come to join our team. He’s got great offensive instincts. He helps us get out of our end zone.”
Daley’s loss could signal a return for Olli Maatta, the former wunderkind who’s endured a tough postseason. The Finnish defenseman missed two games and most of a third against the Capitals after having his bell rung on a late hit by Brooks Orpik. Recently, Maatta was a healthy scratch the past three games.
Derrick Pouliot and Steve Oleksy also are available.
Hey Rick,
The game is over and now the Pens are faced with a rather tough task of going to Tampa Bay and having to win or the curtain will ring down on their season. Not what I wanted to see at all.
Now, your question is turned a little on its side. MAF did play, and the Pens did lose. Would Murray have made a difference? We can debate that one until the next millenium but the reality is we will never know. That is what makes it such a good question. No answer can be proven, since the same full set of circmstances will never present themselves.
I said I would not present my myriad of arguments against that which Sullivan decided on until another date, and I won’t. However, I will say that I did say I was very skeptical of the move.
Perhaps even a more head scratching move to me was sitting Sheary in favor of the Bubble Boy Beau Bennett (sorry, since the days of my youth I have been an alliteration fan). I know I proposed sitting Sheary, but not to give Bennett an TOI. I was hoping I had seen the last of his days in a Pengiun uniform. As I have mentioned to you many times, my gut reaction to him has been, since his second injury shortened season, that he is another Mike Meeker, wasted draft pick. The only difference is he stuck around several years tying up a roster spot that someone who could have been growing into the position could have had.
I know I said I trust Sullivan, and I still do. I am not the one responsible for making the decisions so it is easy for me to posture and preen about being right. Sullivan is the one with the hard job, no one can really prove my ideas one way or the other when I disagree with him. In this case we will never know if Murray and Sprong would have made the difference.
Right now the season stands on the edge of knife. Our boys are facing elimination. It is gut check time. It is time for Malkin, Crosby and/or Letang to pick this team up, put them on their backs, and ground the Bolts. If any coach can spark those embers into a conflagration, my money would be on Sullivan.
Let’s go Pens, you still need 6 more!!!!
Hey Coach,( Rick )
I see from the time of your post that you did not waste anytime venting your thoughts. You must be deeply concerned as I am. After game three I posted that the Bolt’s looked slow, and truthfully was looking ahead to the show down against the Blues. Stupid mistake on my part.
What changed ?…. Last night should have never happened. We were up 2 goals and then the mental mistakes took over. Power play returned to the old form.Make the perfect play. Nothing done!
MAF looked terrible last night. Plus the boys blocked 20 + shots for him as well. Now what do they do for game 6 ? I am sorry to say but this guy is not the Franchise goalie anymore.
Crosby did nothing. Malkin did not dominate either. Beau Bennett ????
Please. This guy should not be playing in a game 6 on the so called Top line.He was not a factor last night.
Our defense was exposed for what it really is.The weakest of the remaining 4 teams competing for the Cup. The Daley injury is going to cost us the Cup. Letang can not do it alone and his tendency to make costly turnovers and take stupid penalties has helped put us in this situation we are in now. ( In his defense, playing 30 minutes a game,taking all the physical abuse he does would tire anybody over time.)
In summary, my three observations are. 1.Our star goaltender has a problem.The Rookie is the better option moving forward. 2. Our defense is being over matched by size and force.3. Our two super star forwards are not 25 years old anymore,and as a result they can not carry the Team when we need them. Sid Crosby can not score two goals a game by himself anymore.Yes he is a fierce competitor and his effort is off the charts but he too makes to many stupid no look passes that are getting picked off by the opposing team that end up in our net. Malkin,often looks like he is lost on the ice and will not charge the net. With his size and skill set he should be Tampa’s worst nightmare.
So now, if you were Tampa in game 6,do you start Bishop? Do we start Murray? What would you do ?
Lets Go Pens !!
Hey Jim,
You just about summed up a lot of serious concerns;
I still like MAF, I think he is an elite, starting calibre goalie, I’ll wait a bit before I give full disclosire on my thoughts. One of my surperstitions is not to voice concerns too loudly while still battling. I’ll just say it is my opinion that you never break from the guy that brung you, especially when Murray wasn’t the weak link.
And as you noted our D is not a strong suit. We knew that at the beginning of the season. JR did a yeoman’s job of trying to patch up this area and Sullivan found a way to elevate them. Unfortunately the loss of Daley exposes the lack of depth. And you are right, Letang may play the hardest of our big $$$$ guys game in and game out but it is still a team sport. It is not the spectacle that basketball is. Only 1-player that I ever watched were able to completely dominate and win by himself. Fortunately #66 worked his miracles in the black and gold.
The power play has been anemic all post-season. They stand still most of the time passing around, never causing any defender to really work to cover them, and then when they do go to shoot, they wind up to Christmas giving the entire other teams goalie time to find his angle and the entire other team, bench included, time to skate in front of the shooter and dive in front of the shot.
The biggest reason the HBK line is so effective is that they never stop skating in the O-zone. Defenders have a nightmare trying to keep track of them. If the PP would just take a leason from that lines even strength play they would have lit the lamp enough times to have kept the Caps and Bolts from leaning all over them, wearing down their smaller team.
And as you saw, I am in complete agreement on Bennett. I know there are plenty of Bennett fans but for the life of me I can’t figure out why. Yes by the way he interviews, he seems like a nice guy, but his play when healthy has been at best, an emigma. He has shown flashes of knowing how to protect the puck and cycle but most of his career he has had a problem hitting the ocean with a beach ball. So when you factor in his bubble boy injury history…….
No, Sprong is a kid and still may have a bit to learn about defensive responsibilities, but he has shown he knows how to get the puck on the net and in a hurry. He is fast and has infectious enthusiasm.
I have said it before and will say it again, you can’t win a game if you play not to lose. To win, you have to play to win. Sprong gives you a chance to win. Bennett is cautiously trying not to lose. Sprong is the embodiment of the Sullivan teams that electrified the city and NHL from March through early May. Bennett is the yawn of MJs system that boredeveryone except their opponents to sleep.
I still believe that the Pens, when they play like they played in March and April are the best team in hockey. They just need to refind that recipe. They need to find that enthusiasm, that passion, that fire, and start outskating their opponents again. Crosby and Malkin need to stop worrying about their legacies and play for the fun of the game and their skills will dominate again.
There a Toaist saying about an Archer of which the readers digest version goes when shooting for the joy of shooting the archer never misses but when even an insignificant penny is on the line he starts to get shaky and eventually starts seeing double and misses as the stakes get higher.
Crosby and Malkin need to become kids again, mentally and play for the fun of the game again, and no team will be able to stop them.
Go Pens, win your last game this year!
Wow, great comments. I’m in full agreement with the beau Bennett ones, have no idea why he is out there. Probably the first move made by Sullivan that confused me. Bennett didn’t disappoint leading the offense with a -2.
Tampa Bay took the same shot from the same spot all night and kept beating Fleury up top and wide. They know the weakness, Fleury was crouched over all night. Fleury’s angles were weak, Murray makes those save just by standing there. Don’t just count the goals from there, look at how many posts they hit.
The big question is does Sullivan have the balls to put Murray back in? We know he has big balls, for one keeping Fleury out this long and two not reinstalling Malkin on HMK line, but will he do it?
A few things Sullivan should address:
Letang and Malkin need to be reprimanded for staying out all powerplay. They were both out for a minute before the powerplay started and then two minutes on the powerplay. They gave up a goal because they got trapped defensively and couldn’t move.
The prevent D doesn’t work. All out offense works. It’s not that complicated. The Pens hold Tampa to around 22 shots a game going all out. Don’t stop the offensive pressure.
Sheary’s importance lies in the tiring out of Tampa Bay’s defense. Don’t underestimate the importance of that.
Letang was a minus 4. He tries to hard, over skates plays and ends up out of position all night when his French buddy Fleury is in net. Another reason to put Murray back in.
Like Rick, I was all in for Fleury, I’m ready to go back now.
Hi Phil,
Great to hear from you.
Your observations on MAF were 100 % correct. He has had that problem since playing Junior hockey.He is a great team guy and everyone likes him but with out a strong,physical d corps with speed and size in front of him, he has issues.To be brutally honest, that is why MAF has never gotten the start on the 2 past Canadian Olympic Teams. He has issues with top corner shots. Put Murray back in !!
I agree with Coaches assessment of the HBK line. I know hockey is a team sport,but with out the HBK line,Matt Murray and let us not forget the terrific play of Matt Cullen , we would not be where we are now.
That is not to take anything away from the play of others,but this year the Team feels different to me from the past 5 or 6 years. This year it is not the Super stars who are winning for us.It’s the play of all the others.
I also agree totally with Coaches attitude. You play to
WIN and not play NOT TO LOSE. That is especially true for the next 2 games!
If I was so lucky to be in Coach Sullivan’s shoes, I would call in Malkin and bluntly say ” Geno..You got one job to do. Tampa’s 2 Russians score 2 goals tonight, you got get 3 !! I don’t care how you do it. This game is to important to lose.Shoot the puck and go to the net.”
Somebody needs to wind him up, and quick because we need the HBK line playing the way they do,Cullen’s line playing 12 minutes of solid hockey and Geno having a 4 point night. Plus Letang to keep his cool !
Thanks guys for letting me rant.
Lets go pen’s…
Hey all,
Sorry to be so out of the loop. But you all have done a great job of analyzing what’s going on with our Pens.
Really outstanding stuff.
Guess I’ll throw my two cents in. Daley’s injury truly was devastating. In my mind, he was the “glue guy” on our ‘d.’ Able to patch virtually any hole while filling a variety of roles. Almost as important, in his own way, as Letang.
I hope I’m wrong. But I’m not sure we’ll recover from his loss. At least not in time to save our postseason.
Phil, I’m with you on Fleury. I felt like Murray was wearing down, and I hoped (against hope) that Fleury would be rested and ready to make a statement. Unfortunately, he resembled the Flower of playoffs past…allowing the backbreaker goal at crunch time.
I go back to Murray in Game 6. Hopefully, with a couple of extra days off, he’ll regain some of his sharpness. If nothing else, I think his coolness under fire makes him the better option for now.
Regarding Beau Bennett…it might be the first move Sullivan made that I flat-out disagreed with. I didn’t think Sheary was playing that badly. He had a nice assist on the Pens’ third goal in Game 4.
One of the guys at the Pennsbury Pub thought Sheary was worn down, which makes sense in a way. Sullivan would play him 9 or 10 minutes during the regular season–inserting him whenever the team needed a lift or an energy boost. But Sheary had pretty much skated a regular shift on Sid’s line in the postseason. Perhaps the workload took a toll.
At any rate, Bennett would not have been my choice to replace him. Other Rick, I’m with you. Not to bash the poor guy…after all Bennett’s had some truly miserable luck, health-wise. And he does possess some decent skills and vision. But he so rarely puts it all together. Nor does he fit Sullivan’s north-south style.
If you have to sit Sheary, I’d much rather play Sundqvist.