Penguins: In Murray, We Trust

The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New York Rangers 3-1 in Game 3 at Madison Square Garden.

My oh my Matt Murray.  The youngest goalie to ever start for the Penguins in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, in Madison Square Garden nonetheless.  Was he nervous? Nah, he was cool as ice.

Murray stopped 16 of 17 shots, outdueling veteran Henrik Lundqvist in the 3-1 victory.  Early in the first period, it was clear Murray was calm and composed, making one big save after another, saves Jeff Zatkoff could not make.  Even on the goal that was called back due to off sides by the Rangers, Murray made a magnificent save before a fluky bounce off Geno’s skate gave the puck back to the opposition, causing the overturned goal.   It was a clear offsides, but so was Saturday’s goal, which did not get called up.

The lone goal given up by Murray  came on a short hander by Rick Nash.  Other than that hiccup in the second, the Penguins kept the Rangers at bay for most of the game.  Amazingly, the Pens held the Rangers to only three shots on goal in the third period.  That is simply incredible, especially for a team like New York.

Now Penguin fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief.  Saturday’s lost sent Pens nation into a frenzy of hysteria.  Do we change the lineup? What do we do with Malkin? Are we going to lose this series now? You can put all those questions to bed.  The answer to your problems has been found, for now.  He is Matt Murray, here him roar.

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Considering what I said, that does not mean Marc-Andre Fleury becomes an afterthought.  If Murray can continue to play with the poise of a wily veteran, the Penguins can win this series with him between the pipes.  But if and when they do advance to play (barring a miracle comeback by the deader than dirt Flyers) the Capitals, the team will need Fleury in net.  The Capitals are playing like a true juggernaut right now, a freight train from hell.  Murray has no chance against their high powered attack in a seven game series.

Next: The Legacy of the Pittsburgh Pipers

Game 4 is a must win for the Rangers; they do not want to go back to Pittsburgh down 3-1 in the series.  Hopefully, the Penguins and Murray come out with the same energy as they did in Game 3.