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Murray Over Fleury Was a Move the Penguins Had to Make

Pittsburgh couldn't afford to let Fleury work through his funk while its No. 1 goalie was healthy and ready.
Photo by James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Though it's being labeled as a "tough decision" for Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan to go back to Matt Murray over Marc-Andre Fleury in goal for Game 4 against Ottawa, it shouldn't be. It's Murray's net, Fleury was just keeping it warm.

Murray was slated to start the opening game of the playoffs for Pittsburgh, but a lower-body injury suffered during warmups of Game 1 against the Blue Jackets forced him out of the lineup all the way until the end of the second round. Fleury was more than admirable in leading the Penguins to their first nine wins this postseason, but it's time now to get a healthy Murray back in the crease before 'bad Fleury' returns, if he hasn't already.

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Fleury was exceptional through the first two rounds against Columbus and Washington, going 8-4 with a .927 save percentage, including a clutch 29-save shutout in Game 7 against the Capitals. That masterful performance in Washington, however, was sandwiched by a few underwhelming starts against the Caps in Games 5 and 6 and a couple less-than-average contests against the Senators in round two.

It came to a head in Game 3 on Wednesday when Fleury, who has allowed four-plus goals in three of his last six starts, was pulled after being shelled for four goals on just nine shots, with at least two of them having a foul stench to them. Sullivan was able to ease his 22-year-old netminder back into action, with Murray looking solid while stopping 19-of-20 shots in relief.

Murray was seemingly destined to start at some point during these playoffs, but his lower-body injury combined with a strong performance by Fleury through the first two rounds put his debut date on hold. Since returning from injury to serve as Fleury's backup in Game 7 against Washington, though, it's felt like Sullivan has just been waiting for the right time to get the netminder that led the Pens to a Stanley Cup in his first year as head coach back between the pipes.



Sullivan is showing both his confidence and loyalty to Murray by giving him the start in Game 4 rather than letting Fleury try to work his way out of a funk. With Fleury starting to stumble and the Penguins down 2-1 in the series going into a crucial game in Ottawa, Pittsburgh's head coach can ill-afford to keep gambling with Fleury. Murray is Sullivan's guy.

Both goalie and coach tore it up with the Penguins' AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre last season before being summoned by the big club throughout the season—Sullivan in December, and Murray in March. Together, they made an unlikely trot all the way to a Stanley Cup championship. Sullivan became just the sixth head coach in NHL history to win a Cup after being hired mid-season, while Murray became the third-youngest goaltender to start for a championship-winning team.

The two share a common bond, for sure, but Murray is more than just a sentimental favourite of Sullivan's. His play in both the regular season and last year's playoffs has warranted his return to the Pens crease. The 2012 third-rounder went 15-6 with a .923 save percentage and 2.08 GAA during the Penguins' 2016 Cup run, and posted a 32-10 record with a .923 save percentage in 47 games this season.

It's a great luxury the Pens have being able to swap one Stanley Cup-winning goalie for another, and is the decision that needed to be made while their backs are surprisingly up against the wall.