Matt Murray played all of 13 NHL games before starting Game 3 of the Pittsburgh Penguins' first-round playoff series against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. No pressure.
Only 21, Murray was thrust into the spotlight Tuesday in a pivotal road game for his club, filling in for a Stanley Cup winner in Marc-Andre Fleury. While Murray wasn't busy, facing only 17 shots, he was good - and a lack of action arguably made his job more difficult. The Penguins won 3-1, and now have a 2-1 series lead. After the game, defenseman Ben Lovejoy couldn't help but look at his rookie teammate and wonder what he was doing at the goaltender's age.
"When I was 21 years old I was drinking beers in my frat basement at this point in my life in April," Lovejoy said, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen.
Murray himself couldn't help but reflect.
"I would get nervous watching on the couch when I was a kid," he said, "and now I'm involved in a game, starting my first playoff game.
"It was a pretty crazy moment," Murray said about the moments before puck drop. "The butterflies were definitely going before the game."
Rick Nash was the only Ranger to beat him, and Murray thought he should have had that, too. But all in all, he'll certainly take the win.
"I thought I could have made a lot better effort on that goal, but I was able to shut it down after that so it was cool," he said.
Penguins supporters would certainly agree.
