In what was billed as the latest chapter in the supposed rivalry between Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, it's 21-year-old goaltender Matt Murray who's stealing the show.
In a Game 3 win over the Washington Capitals on Monday, Murray made a career-high 47 saves, the most in a regulation playoff game by a Pittsburgh Penguins goalie.
Without that performance, Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist said, “There’s no way we win this game.”
And did we mention he's a rookie? 💪🏼 pic.twitter.com/vhPcQQwrFC
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) May 3, 2016
To put it simply, Murray is playing too well to abdicate his new-found status as the Penguins' No. 1 goalie, despite the fact Marc-Andre Fleury was healthy enough to serve as backup in Game 3.
A third-round pick by the Penguins back in 2012, Murray was named the fifth-ranked goalie prospect by InGoal Magazine last summer. He didn't make his NHL debut until this past December, a 2-1 loss to Carolina wherein he stopped 24 of 26 shots. In 13 regular season games for the Penguins, including that initial loss, he posted a record of 9-2-1 with a sparkling save percentage of .930.
Pressed into postseason action as a result of a concussion suffered by Fleury in late March, Murray has stopped 186 of 197 shots through six playoff games, recording five wins and a .944 save percentage.
Fleury, of course, has been the man in net since being selected first overall by the Penguins at the 2003 NHL Draft. He's won a Stanley Cup and appeared in another Final, and was playing some of the best hockey of his career this season before falling to the head injury.
But as good as Fleury can be, he hasn't played in over a month, and, fair or not, he has a reputation for allowing soft goals in high pressure situations.
With his team up 2-1 in the series, head coach Mike Sullivan simply can't change things up at this point, lest he give the Capitals even an inch and allow them to take the mile.
What a luxury it is to have Fleury on the bench to call on in a pinch if and/or when Murray should falter.
To date, however, he's showing no such signs, and there's certainly no reason to rock the boat when Murray is playing at such a high level.
Murray, then, should certainly get the start in Game 4, and remain in the crease up until the point he allows the Capitals - or future opponents during this run - to get the better of him.
