NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The only thing Matt Murray concerns himself with is the next shot. It’s probably the way most of us should approach our lives, but few are able to reach a Zen-like state that rivals the Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender.
When a groin injury saw him lose his spot to Marc-Andre Fleury earlier in these playoffs, he didn’t sweat it. He kept his mind trained on only that which was under his control.
“I don’t really like the word hope,” Murray said during the Eastern Conference Final, when asked by a reporter if he hoped to start Game 4 in Ottawa after a poor outing by Fleury. “I have no expectations and either way I have to be ready.”
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He got the net back that day and has won five of six games since.
It’s put Murray on the precipice of something special, with a chance to become the goaltender of record on two Stanley Cup champions at age 23. He drew comparisons to Ken Dryden last spring, but he might find himself with two rings quicker than the Montreal Canadiens legend got one.
Either way, we are probably not too far away from a serious discussion about whether he deserves recognition as one of the top goalies in the game.
Murray has a .925 save percentage in the NHL since start the start of last season – tied with Carey Price over that span, just ahead of Braden Holtby, Sergei Bobrovsky and John Gibson at .923. In these playoffs he’s sitting at a league-best .943, and is the biggest reason why Pittsburgh has jumped out to a 2-0 lead over the Nashville Predators in the Stanley Cup Final.
After just 87 career starts for the Penguins, he’s already won 61 games.
The latest victory in Game 2 against the Predators saw Murray make 37 saves and get awarded the player of the game batting helmet from teammate Jake Guentzel.
“Oh, I think he’s unbelievable,” said Penguins centre Evgeni Malkin. “He’s never nervous.”
“He’s just such a calming presence back there,” added defenceman Ian Cole. “He never gets rattled. A goal goes in and he can play the exact same way right after that, which is hard for any goalie to do, but especially one that’s still really quite young. He’s mature beyond his years and I think the guys feed off that calmness, and that confidence that he has.”
It is not by accident. Murray has had to work rigorously on the mental side of the game.
There was a time not so long ago when he posted below-average numbers for the Ontario Hockey League’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. He saw nine other goalies called to the stage ahead of him at the 2012 NHL Draft, and seven of those guys have yet to appear in 10 NHL games.
His sharp rise has made Fleury expendable – the longest-tenured and most popular Penguin will almost certainly find a new home by the end of the month – and given the organization reason to believe that it’s set at the position for years to come.
It also has them in prime position to claim a Stanley Cup that would look much different than the four that came before it. With Kris Letang lost for the season following neck surgery, Murray is playing behind the most democratic defence corps in the league.
Over the course of the playoffs, there has been no significant difference between the top pair and bottom pair based on ice time: Brian Dumoulin (21:43), Ron Hainsey (21:04), Olli Maatta (20:59), Justin Schultz (19:50), Trevor Daley (19:36) and Cole (18:58).
They have routinely been outshot and relied heavily on the men between the pipes.
For Murray, it’s actually been a trying season. He suffered a hand injury while playing for Team North America at the World Cup in September and then was injured again in the warmup before Game 1 against Columbus in the first round.
Those were new experiences for the Thunder Bay, Ont., native.
“Honestly, I don’t think I’ve had an injury up until this season that kept me out of the lineup,” he said. “It’s definitely frustrating in that regard. It’s a long season, you’re going to have ups and downs and that’s definitely what happened this year. But I think I persevered well through it.
“You know, each time I’ve gotten hurt I’ve come back stronger. I think that’s all you can do.”
He’s returned in time to boost Pittsburgh’s chances of repeating as Stanley Cup champions. The trophy has already arrived in Nashville – it could be handed out here in a matter of days – but Murray won’t be thinking about that when Game 3 arrives on Saturday night.
His mind is in the moment and getting ready to stop the first puck shot his way at Bridgestone Arena.
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