The Pittsburgh Penguins have had an interesting season to say the least. They were out of the playoffs in December and fired their head coach Mike Johnston shortly thereafter. After the installation of coach Mike Sullivan, the Penguins gained momentum and began to be seen as a serious contender for the Stanley Cup. Then, in the beginning of April – about one month before the start of the playoffs – Marc-Andre Fleury was diagnosed with a concussion and would be out of the lineup indefinitely.
It was not the way the Penguins – or any team for that matter – wanted to enter the playoffs. They did what needed to be done and put their backup goaltender Jeff Zatkoff in net for the first round of the playoffs against the New York Rangers. He lasted two games: one win and one loss. But the loss was ugly and disheartening. So 21-year-old rookie Matt Murray was called up from Wilkes-Barre and took Zatkoff’s place in game 3.
Murray performed outstandingly against the Rangers, helping the Penguins move on to round 2 against the Washington Capitals. Murray performed even better and the Penguins moved on to round 3 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. In this series, Murray began to flounder and with Fleury newly healthy, no floundering was tolerated. Fleury made his first start in over a month in Game 5; it was not Fleury’s best performance and the Penguins lost 4-3 in overtime. Murray has started every game since.
Murray’s miraculous playoff run has led to much speculation about the future of the Penguins’ goaltending. Many people are ready to jump on the Murray train, wave their Fleury jerseys goodbye, and never look back. This outlook is not just rude to the goalie that got the Penguins to the playoffs, but it is unjustified.
First of all, Fleury is a future Hall of Fame goalie. He’s been one the Penguins star players, alongside Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, since he was drafted. He’s had his bad games and his good games, like every goaltender, and has often been the best player on the ice. It is not unheard of for Fleury to make 40 saves in a game; Fleury comes to every game and gives the team the best chance to win that he possibly can. And he does it with a smile. Former teammate of Fleury, Mike Rupp, commented, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player more beloved in the NHL than Marc-Andre Fleury. I seriously have never heard a single bad word about him.”
And even with a player like this, the people of Pittsburgh have turned their attention to their saving grace: Matt Murray. While I agree that Murray saved the Penguins and played an insurmountable role in the team making it to the Stanley Cup final against the San Jose Sharks, I think he is judged unfairly and much too easily. In his last five games, Murray has faced 21, 20, 26, 22, and 26 shots. This just isn’t a lot of shots. And it’s glaringly obvious when compared to Martin Jones, who has faced about double what Murray has each game. Not to mention, many of Murray’s saves aren’t the unbelievable, upside-down Fleury-type of saves.
Take Game 5 for example: Murray let in three out of the first five shots. While he performed much better the rest of the game and didn’t let any more shots in, this is just not the performance of a goaltender that I’m willing to get behind completely. I am extremely appreciative for everything Matt Murray has done for the Penguins, but I disagree completely with those who think he is a better choice for the future than Marc-Andre Fleury.
Has Murray performed solidly in the playoffs? Absolutely. Is he a better goalie than Fleury? Absolutely not. Can he be someday? Sure. The Penguins success has not been because of a solid goaltender, but because of a solid team. The Penguins do not let the puck in their zone for the other team to have close to the amount of shots they have. Murray has looked far better than he is because of the skill of the team in general.
I look forward to seeing how Murray will grow in the coming seasons and I think he desperately needs to grow. I think that if the Penguins organization decides to make a goaltending change in favor of Matt Murray, it will be a mistake.
Flower Power forever.
