Penguins Playoff Update: Murray or Fleury?

It’s the white elephant in the locker room. One that simply won’t go away.

Who should start in goal for the Penguins in Game Five, incumbent Matt Murray or veteran Marc-Andre Fleury?

Pens coach Mike Sullivan went to great lengths to absolve Murray of any blame for his team’s recent losses in Nashville.

“We haven’t lost games because of our goaltending,” Sullivan said via conference call on Tuesday. “I thought last night was a case where we felt as though Matt had a solid game, but Pekka Rinne had a tremendous game. I thought maybe early in the series, you could point in the other direction.”

However, Sully stopped short of announcing Murray as his starter for the pivotal Game Five in the ‘Burgh on Thursday night.

Could he be contemplating a switch?

My guess is yes.

To reiterate, despite yielding eight goals in the past two games, Murray’s hardly been a sieve. He still boasts a 2.08 goals against average and a .925 save percentage for the playoffs—highly respectable numbers. And every goalie hits a rough patch once in a while. Before rebounding in Nashville, Rinne leaked for eight goals on 36 shots in Games One and Two.

Still, there are reasons to consider a change. For one, the Preds seem to have figured Murray out. They’ve beaten the kid to the glove side—a perceived weakness—on eight of their past 10 goals against him. While “Muzz” certainly hasn’t been atrocious, his numbers in the Final—a 3.01 GAA and .902 SV%—are hardly inspired.

Changing goalies at this stage is a risk, no doubt. As a rule, the Pens play a more settled game in front of Murray, as evidenced by the 27.5 shots on goal allowed per 60 minutes versus 33.9 with Fleury. That’s an awful lot of flying rubber.

With his calmer, stickier style, Murray’s easier for his teammates to read than the frenetic, acrobatic Fleury.

Yet a different look in net might force the Preds to reset. Perhaps knock them out of their groove, too.

For the record, Fleury’s performed quite well against Nashville over the course of his 13-year NHL career. In 13 regular-season appearances, “Flower’s” posted an 8-4-1 record, to go with a glittering 2.18 GAA and .918 SV%.

It’s not as if Fleury was stinking out the place when Sullivan switched to Murray. A disastrous outing in Game Three of the Conference Final aside, he’d posted shutouts in two of his previous three contests. Hard to do much better than that.

In fact, it probably wasn’t Fleury’s performance that led to his benching in the first place, but a need for Sullivan to get his weary, banged-up troops to refocus. What better way to accomplish that task than to switch goaltenders—especially when you have an option capable as Murray waiting in the wings.

Now we’re in similar straits, albeit with the roles reversed. It’s no secret the Pens struggled mightily in Games Three and Four. They’re badly in need of a spark, an emotional lift.

I can’t imagine anything that would stir the troops—and set the crowd ablaze—more than the sight of No. 29 standing in front the Pens’ net, head bowed, during the national anthem. I can just hear the familiar chant echoing through PPG Paints Arena.

Fleury, Fleury, Fleury.

The joint would be rockin.’

There’s one more reason to make the switch, and it has nothing to do with numbers. Fleury’s time here is, no doubt, short. He’s endured so much during his roller coaster ride in the Steel City, all the while endearing himself to teammates and fans alike. He’s experienced truly dizzying highs and equally crushing lows. None more painful, I’m sure, than watching his friends win a Stanley Cup without him last spring.

You can see it in his eyes when the camera pans to him on the Penguins’ bench. Fleury wants to win…and play a pivotal role…so badly, it’s practically burning a hole through him.

Passion. Hunger. Fire.

Those are traits we sorely need if we’re to repeat as Cup champions.

There’s a time to put your heart above your head.

Call me a softie, a sentimental sap. I go with Fleury in Game Five.