Murray accepts No. 2 berth in goal
Praises Fleury’s playoff work; says it’s all about wins
Matt Murray couldn't quite tell what it was at first.
He was on the ice, going through his usual warmup for Game 1 of the first round against Columbus, when he felt something pop.
“I don’t know if there was something prior there that might’ve gone unnoticed,” Murray said. “Just because I wasn’t really doing anything crazy, over-stretching or anything like that. It was a pretty simple move, and I just felt something go.”
Whatever it was, it ended up changing the course of Murray’s season, as well as the complexion of this playoff run for the Penguins. Murray left warmups early that night against Columbus, and Marc-Andre Fleury has stepped in to play some of the best hockey of his career in the Penguins’ 12 playoff games so far.
Murray returned to the Penguins’ bench for Game 7 against Washington Wednesday night and was back in practice with the team Friday. Still, it does not appear that the Penguins have any sort of goalie controversy on their hands.
“I think Marc deserves the opportunity to play,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “He’s played so well for us, and he’s really at the top of his game. Having said that, we have Matt that’s a quality goaltender as well, just like all of our players on our team. We can’t predict how series unfold or what comes our way. We just want to have as many healthy bodies as we can available to us to help us win.”
Murray said his recovery is “pretty far ahead of schedule” at this point, and felt confident he’s ready to step in if called upon.
As for his injury, if there was a previous, underlying condition that he re-aggravated during warmups that night, he wasn’t sure what it was.
Murray said he didn’t think it was from a breakaway stop on Taylor Hall in New Jersey April 6. He stayed down for a bit after the save and appeared to come up awkwardly, but, when asked about it, he didn’t even remember the play in question.
Regardless of how it happened, Murray is glad to be back now, even if it just in a backup capacity. Like most hockey players, he didn’t particularly enjoy the experience of watching games — especially playoff games — from the press box.
“I get nervous when I watch, for sure,” Murray said. “Probably way more nervous watching than I am playing because you kind of feel helpless. It’s hard to watch in that regard, but, when the team’s playing so well, it’s a real honor to watch this team play. I had quite a bit of fun watching the team play, got to be a fan for a little while, but it was a little frustrating.”
Murray also admitted that being the backup “has its challenges.” During the stretches when both goalies were healthy this season, Murray generally saw the majority of the starts. But Fleury’s stellar postseason play — highlighted by his Game 7 shutout against the Capitals — has secured his spot as the Penguins’ top goalie, likely for the remainder of their postseason run.
“At the end of the day, it’s about winning,” Murray said. “It’s about who gives us the best chance to win, and right now Flower’s doing that.”
Last year, the shoe was on the other foot. Fleury was one of the Penguins’ best players in the regular season, but injury forced Murray into the net first in the postseason. Murray thrived, and Fleury sat as the Penguins went on to win the Stanley Cup.
Murray often credited Fleury with being a supportive backup during that run, and he’s ready to pay it back this spring.
“Knowing when to give him a pat on the back, knowing when to stay out of his way,” Murray said. “It’s just kind of mental support, everything Flower did for me last year.”