Mark Madden: Matt Murray should start Game 1 but leash should be short for Penguins goalie
The Penguins can’t be blamed for trying to generate hype for a Stanley Cup playoff that begins in August.
But they might have regrets about putting the livestream of Saturday’s scrimmage online.
Sidney Crosby left that scrimmage early. The NHL’s covid-mandated injury policy of “don’t ask because we won’t tell” had fans’ knickers in a twist, and rightly so. Whether it’s bubonic plague, an amputation or a hangnail, all are “unfit to play.”
But when Matt Murray got lit up like a Christmas tree, it created an even bigger point of discussion.
Murray allowed seven goals. He was hampered by facing the Penguins’ top two lines, those centered by Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. He faced power-play time that was planned within the context of the scrimmage. Shots weren’t kept. There was very little contact. It only vaguely resembled NHL hockey, let alone NHL playoff hockey.
Sam Lafferty dominated. There you go.
Still, seven goals are a lot to give up in a 50-minute scrimmage. Especially when Murray hasn’t sparkled in camp, and when his regular-season numbers (.899 save percentage, 2.87 goals-against average) were decidedly ordinary.
Murray just hasn’t been the same goalie since 2017, when he backstopped the Penguins to a second straight Stanley Cup and Marc-Andre Fleury left soon after.
Did Fleury’s presence push Murray? Did his performance sink because Fleury left?
It’s impossible to be sure, and it doesn’t matter anyway. The long term is only a theoretical concern, because Murray will be a restricted free agent at season’s end, and unrestricted after 2020-21. Murray is likely to be traded after these playoffs, because the Penguins won’t pay him what he wants (rumored to be in the neighborhood of eight years at $8 million per).
For Murray and the Penguins, it’s all about the here and now.
Should he play Game 1 against Montreal on Aug. 1? Probably.
But coach Mike Sullivan made his bones during the 2016 playoffs when he decided (and re-decided in ’17) that Fleury wasn’t the guy anymore. Sticking with the established Cup-winner would have been easy to do, and few would have complained.
Now Sullivan is faced with a similar situation. He can start Murray in Game 1. But Murray’s leash must be the shortest possible.
It’s not about respect. It’s not about then. It’s about now.
Leaking in seven goals during a scrimmage is no big deal. Having a bad patch during a July training camp that feels surreal is no cause for outrage. Having subpar stats over the course of the regular season isn’t cataclysmic. But all that adds up and can’t be ignored. Nor can the rising performance of Tristan Jarry (though his burden in Saturday’s scrimmage was much less demanding than Murray’s). Jarry made the NHL’s All-Star event.
Murray pitched shutouts in the last two games of the ’17 Stanley Cup playoffs. But that was a very long time ago.
Murray’s performance doesn’t warrant treating him with kid gloves. He’s had hot streaks since ’17, sure. But any goaltender is capable of those. The Penguins can’t wait for Murray to play well. He has to play well right away.
Murray won’t be facing Crosby and Malkin on Aug. 1. He’ll be facing the weakest team in the playoffs. Montreal scored 212 goals, only the 19th most in the NHL. The Canadiens are lucky if they have one forward who could crack the Penguins’ top six. Carey Price will be in the opposite net, but he’s more about reputation than excellence these days.
It’s a situation where Murray should succeed. He must succeed, and immediately. If he does, the leash must still stay short.
If he doesn’t, remember that ’16 and ’17 weren’t just about Murray’s excellence. Those triumphs were about recognizing when the No. 2 goalie was better than the No. 1. If the occasion dictates, Sullivan must show the same steel he displayed in making the switch then.
The situation now could play out eerily similar to then.
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