Penguins Stanley Cup Update: Chinks in Murray’s Armor?

We’ve all heard the comparisons.

He’s the next Ken Dryden. A sure-fire NHL All-Star for years to come. Maybe even a future Hall of Famer.

The plaudits…and excitement…were understandable. Especially given the way Penguins rookie goalie Matt Murray wowed us down the homestretch and through the first couple of rounds of the playoffs.

So cool. So focused. So economical in his movements. Virtually unbeatable down low.

And now?

Those good traits are still very much ingrained in the youngster’s play. Along with the mental toughness that allows the 22 year old to shrug off goals—good and bad—with a remarkable equanimity.

Yet the aura of invincibility that surrounded the Thunder Bay native through his record-setting 2014-15 season as a rookie pro with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (12 shutouts) and early starts with the black and gold seems to have faded.

Have chinks begun to show in Murray’s armor?

It would appear so.

Going back to the Washington series, opponents have been working to a set plan. And a perceived weakness. Shoot high to the glove side.

The Sharks seem to have discovered a second hole between Murray’s glove hand and body, which they’ve exploited twice over the past three contests. San Jose defenseman Brent Burns added his own wrinkle on the opening goal in Game 5. Feint to Murray’s glove side. Then cross the kid up and shoot stick side.

An effective strategy. One that seems to have No. 30 guessing just a bit. And a little off balance between the pipes.

Let’s back up a step. All goalies have flaws. Marc-Andre Fleury? A tendency to scramble and cough up juicy rebounds. Not to mention his dicey puckhandling.

Legends like Dryden, Martin Brodeur, and Patrick Roy were human, too.

Anyone remember the fateful night in December of 1995 when Roy blew a gasket and yielded nine goals in 32 minutes against Detroit? Or when Brodeur uncharacteristically leaked for a pair of goals in the final 80 seconds of a Game 7 against Carolina to single-handedly blow a playoff series in ‘09?

It happens to the best of ‘em.

Heck, even Dryden wasn’t airtight during his much-ballyhooed playoff debut back in ‘71. Yes, he backstopped Montreal to the Stanley Cup and won the Conn Smythe Trophy. But his record (12-8) and goals-against average (3.00)?

Hardly spectacular.

Murray’s postseason numbers glitter by comparison. A sparkling 2.14 goals-against average and .923 save percentage. Most important of all, 14 big wins.

Another victory and he caps one of the most remarkable playoff performances in team history. One that would cement his already burgeoning reputation and allow him to join Fleury and Tom Barrasso among the Pens’ pantheon of Cup-winning goalies.

Is he up to the task?

I’ll answer the question with an observation. During a stop in play late in Game 5, just before he was pulled for an extra attacker, Murray flipped up his mask and drank some water. There was something in the way he returned the squeeze bottle to the holder that caught my eye.

Anger. Determination.

The kid’ll be ready.

Gordie Howe Passes Away

The game lost one of its all-time greats on Friday. Gordie Howe—the beloved “Mr. Hockey”—passed away peacefully at the age of 88.

Over the course of a stellar Hall-of-Fame career that spanned 32 seasons and five decades, Howe displayed skill, strength and a remarkable durability. Not to mention a legendary on-ice mean streak and the sharpest set of elbows around.

A prototype power forward, the slope-shouldered right wing amassed an astounding 801 goals and 1850 points in 1767 NHL games. During his six seasons in the World Hockey Association, Howe tallied an additional 174 goals and 508 points.

One of the most decorated skaters ever, the 12-time First Team NHL All-Star earned six Hart trophies and six Art Ross trophies. Teamed with Sid Abel and “Terrible” Ted Lindsay on Detroit’s famed “Production Line,” Howe led the Red Wings to four Stanley Cups over a six-season span in the ‘40s and ‘50s.

Known for his kindness, generosity of spirit, and humility, the Saskatchewan native became one of hockey’s greatest goodwill ambassadors after hanging up his skates in 1980.