OT: Murray warming up....
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0-0 end of the 1st period ....... NYR goal disallowed, good challenge by the Pens it was clearly offside ..... Pens killed a 4 minute double minor ...... refs missed a high stick on the NYR against Letang ...... both goalies sharp in the 1st period, couple great saves by Murray ...... Maatta solid in his own end so far tonight ...... Pens are chipping it into the NYR end more tonight and forcing the NYR defensemen to go back in their own end and forechecking or Pens even getting to the puck 1st ...... Malkin and Crosby quiet so far ..... I thought both teams played pretty well in the 1st period.... NYR won more face-offs.
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Tightly played game ..... not much room out there ...... NYR only have 13 shots after 2 periods (Pens have 19)..... good penalty killing by the Pens ...... In the 1st period, the Rangers won 8 of 12 face-offs but in the 2nd period, the Pens won 13 of 17 face-offs ...... Pens picked up the hitting a little in the 2nd period ..... 3rd period coming up !
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anon_4dfwm2pijbr0a
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Pens shut the Rangers down ..... Rangers only got 17 shots on goal, but yes, Murray was good in goal ..... he made a couple great saves in the 1st period ...... a rookie with very little NHL experience played like a veteran ..... looks like he has a bright future.
I must also say that Maata was very solid tonight ..... Sullivan made the right move playing him !
I don't think there's much that rivals the last 2 minutes of a tight hockey game.
Okay, this is not done with the hyperbole of reaction to tonight's win. But we may have seen the last of Marc Andre Fleury in a Pens uniform. Obviously he is hurt right now. He could come back deeper in the playoffs. But Matt Murray is a stud. He is pretty much considered the best goalie in the world, 21 and under. He will be the goalie to the "Young Stars" entry to the World Cup of Hockey this fall. That team will include Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and Shane Gotisphere.
Why do I say this? The NHL will expand at the 2017-18 season, and you will only be able to protect one goalie. MAF is a $5 million a year goalie who by 2017 will be what, 32, 33 years old? Matt Murray is 21 years old on a rookie entry level contract. It just makes all the sense of the world to trade Fluery for a young player and draft pick this offseason, or sometime next season. Murray is this franchise's goalie going forward, just for all the right reasons (talent, age, contract). MAF can free up some cap space and yield some assets in return.
Oh...when this season ends, I will do an autopsy, but the death of this franchise has been greatly exaggerated because they are in a really good spot.
Why do I say this? The NHL will expand at the 2017-18 season, and you will only be able to protect one goalie. MAF is a $5 million a year goalie who by 2017 will be what, 32, 33 years old? Matt Murray is 21 years old on a rookie entry level contract. It just makes all the sense of the world to trade Fluery for a young player and draft pick this offseason, or sometime next season. Murray is this franchise's goalie going forward, just for all the right reasons (talent, age, contract). MAF can free up some cap space and yield some assets in return.
Oh...when this season ends, I will do an autopsy, but the death of this franchise has been greatly exaggerated because they are in a really good spot.
The chips, the dumps, this team is just playing so smart. They got away from it for a large part of Game 1 and 2, but this looks like the Pens team we saw over the last month in a half.
Feel better about Murray starting over Zatkoff, Jeff just cannot play two good games in a row. Mr Murray surprised me tonight, very composed. Way to go Pens! It will be hard to score 4/5 goals in the playoffs like they did in the last part of the season. Hope we wrap this baby up in da 'Burgh.
Awesome game....emotional roller coaster that had me on edge for 3 hours. Man is playoff hockey awesome.
What a turnaround for the Pens D. Maatta played amazing, Letang was Letang, Doumalin is so underrated as a 3/4 defenseman...Daley HUGE bounce back from his -4, Cole laying the body and killing penalties...even a shitbag like Lovejoy who i HATE played well. They really made the game easy for Murray.
The key to the win was Murray...not necessarily with his play, but with the teams comfort level with him between the pipes. The team was able to stay aggressive ALL GAME, even at the end. Great job Sully, keep it up!
What a turnaround for the Pens D. Maatta played amazing, Letang was Letang, Doumalin is so underrated as a 3/4 defenseman...Daley HUGE bounce back from his -4, Cole laying the body and killing penalties...even a shitbag like Lovejoy who i HATE played well. They really made the game easy for Murray.
The key to the win was Murray...not necessarily with his play, but with the teams comfort level with him between the pipes. The team was able to stay aggressive ALL GAME, even at the end. Great job Sully, keep it up!
Loved seeing on TV the Rangers fans in disgust pitching their promotional version of the "Terrible Towels" after the empty netter. My husband and son were in a box, but I guess all the seats had a wristband attached to wear that were controlled LED lights. They said it looked very cool when it was dark.
Murray has that odd poise that some of the great ones have. Guys are buzzing all around him but he seems not to notice or care. Nothing seems to get to him.
It is confidence inspiring to your team and demoralizing to the other team when your goaltender plays that way. Carey Price has it and so does Henrik Lundqvist. When they are really tracking the puck well, everything looks routine.
I'm not ready to run Fleury out of town just yet but I do feel much more confident with Murray back there than I was with Zatkoff between the pipes.
It is confidence inspiring to your team and demoralizing to the other team when your goaltender plays that way. Carey Price has it and so does Henrik Lundqvist. When they are really tracking the puck well, everything looks routine.
I'm not ready to run Fleury out of town just yet but I do feel much more confident with Murray back there than I was with Zatkoff between the pipes.
Agree. Don't run anybody out of town yet. We don't know what other goalies will be available in the expansion draft, as the players union is fighting to make players with no movement clauses in their contracts exempt from the draft.
Related to the game....I bet Letang gets a suspension. The chop to Stalberg looks bad in slow motion. Hope they let him slide because its the playoffs, but imo, he deserves to sit. I guess we'll see shultz back in for game 4....
Related to the game....I bet Letang gets a suspension. The chop to Stalberg looks bad in slow motion. Hope they let him slide because its the playoffs, but imo, he deserves to sit. I guess we'll see shultz back in for game 4....
Murray = Iceman
Seems to me that Murray skates better ( quicker) than Fluery when he has to handle the puck behind the net etc.
When Fluery does that I cringe since he seems to "fumble" around back there.
Seems to me that Murray skates better ( quicker) than Fluery when he has to handle the puck behind the net etc.
When Fluery does that I cringe since he seems to "fumble" around back there.
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The Penguins are not going to lose Fleury or Murray in the expansion draft. There is literally 0% chance of that happening. They would definitely trade one or the other before that. More likely, they would trade an asset (likely a draft pick or high end prospect) to Las Vegas so that it would not take either player.
It is not running Fleury out of town, it is business. I thought about this the last month.
1) The emergence of Murray as a potential franchise goalie +
2) MAF's age and cap hit +
3) The looming expansion draft in the summer of 2017 where you can only protect one goalie
Equals that it makes sense (makes it likely) that MAF will be traded. Almost has to. If Murray is exposed in the expansion draft he is gone. MAF has some no trade movement. So, the prudent move is to move him, even this offseason, get a nice prospect and/or draft pick and look ahead.
Win or Lose this series, it is amazing the outlook surrounding this team moving forward. Last year at this time, they looked like a bloated, top heavy franchise, devoid of young talent and prospects with a window quickly closing.
Now? With a coach harnessing and utilizing their talents, Crosby and Letang have been reborn. Geno is literally expendable. Kessel, who looked like a bad trade is locked up for 4 more years. Hagelin is on board for 3 more years I think. Hornquist 1. Kunitz ONLY has 1 more year. And kids like Kuhnackl, Sheary, Rust, Sundquist, Wilson, Murrayall have show to be legit, even quality NHL players. All of a sudden, this window is no longer closing. As hard as I have been on Rutherford, with the coaching change, the emergence of young guys (this doesn't even include a guy like Sprong) that the death of the Penguins have been greatly exaggerated. And now with the youth, which are much cheaper options, they can create some cap space also if they so choose. They have some assets that can be move to continue to get younger, deeper, bigger and faster. And a coach who knows what to do with them.
Flower is signed thru next year, correct? Not an expert on hockey financials, can we just cut him like in football? do you take a salary hit? My buddy said it's the same hit since he is signed already but likely gone after next year. Im with you, the future is now with Murray, if you can just cut the tie with flower that is.. On a side note, Flower's wife aint bad, saw her in a commercial yesterday.. Good for him..
murray is very good. he's had some good coaching along the way. his positioning is very good, he's always in position to make the play. as a former goaltender i can appreciate that. he's always calm in the net, not flopping all over the place.
Good post!
You do mention age and this is a business.
Realizing this is different for everyone whats the useful life of a goalie like Fluery. I would think the strategy is to keep him until his skills begin to decline so the PENS don't end up with
a high paid goalie whose wating at flies and missing.
Great post owtie! It is amazing and I still cannot believe how this organization went from top heavy and barren to the possibility that this organization can get even deeper and younger and have their window to win open for another 5 years with the best player in the world....
and this happened all in in a span of 6 months
and this happened all in in a span of 6 months
No, I get where you're coming from and ultimately we will probably end up in the same spot. I agree that Matt Murray will likely be the long-term goaltender for Pittsburgh. However, I think you're rushing things a bit here. Let me put it this way, I definitely don't think we've seen the last of Marc Andre Fleury in a Pittsburgh Penguins uniform.
I don't think the expansion draft is going to have much, if anything, to do with the Pens' goaltending plans. I don't think that affects our timeline at all - at least it shouldn't.
Also, there is no chance they would expose Murray, that's what I'm trying to tell you. There is just no way in this world they would risk getting nothing in return for that level of asset.
The same is true of Tampa and it's two talented young goaltenders and Anaheim with it's too talented young netminders.
Some goaltenders are likely to be moved or those teams are going to surrender other assets to Las Vegas in exchange for Las Vegas promising to not draft their prized understudies.
How do I know this? Because I've seen this film before and that's exactly what teams did then and will almost certainly do this time around too.
Some smart general manager for Las Vegas – perhaps Don Maloney – will quickly realize that the extra prospects/draft choices are more valuable to his talent-starved infantile franchise than securing a good goaltender. Now, if your team is ready to win, give me the goaltender. However, it will be a long time before Las Vegas is winning anything - especially in the mighty West.
LV's GM will decide that his team can get by for a few years with a mediocre goaltender if it can accrue a lot of draft choices and prospects to build up the overall depth in his organization.
Las Vegas' first goaltender is going to be someone like Antti Niemi or James Reimer or someone like that. It is not going to be a star caliber player like MAF. We would just get way more for him on the open market. Almost every team could use a world-class goaltender and Fleury is definitely that.
Also, unlike most other positions, goaltenders tend to get better with age, so I don't believe that a 32-year-old MAF is going to scare off anyone; especially given his well-known fitness regimen and athleticism.
Outside of the NCAA basketball tournament, no where in sports has a post season that is as exponentially exciting vs the regular season than hockey.
I have a really soft spot for Fleury after watching the HBO series leading up to the Winter Classic with the Caps. He showed up on a flight with the silliest looking holiday sweater - and it wasn't a joke. He actually chose it and liked it. So sweet.
he seems like a genuinely good guy.. His contract is a killer though, if we can get similar results with Murray, for a fraction of the cost, no brainer.. Flower is a top 5 goalie though, he'll get picked up and paid handsomely (if it comes to that).
I cannot believe the NHL is expanding, I mean the talent dilution is bad as it is right now.......
As for the rest of the Penguins in their future, a lot of that was overstated to begin with. Guys like Rob Rossi and Mark Madden have done a great job of relentlessly propagandizing against the team and unfortunately over time that picks up steam.
Literally every time Rob Ross he opens his mouth to talk about Sidney Crosby it is going to be something nasty and/or critical of the Penguins captain. I no longer even wait to stop to listen to what he has to say because I know what's coming. That's his thing. That is how Rossi has made his name in the local media - by taking on the Penguins' biggest star.
However, it's also almost always ridiculous.
In the past two years alone, Rossi has accused Crosby of being a coach killer and a guy who was well past his prime who needs to accept that reality and transition into a checking centers role. He didn't say this three years ago or five years ago, he said it six months ago. Crosby was playing poorly. However, he was entitled to half a bad season. Alex Ovechkin's had multiple bad full seasons. So too have every other NHL star.
Rossi has also accused Crosby of being a guy whose teammates don't like him and who think he is selfish. I know for a fact that almost all of those things are untrue and I'd be willing to bet that every one of those accusations none of those things are true.
The reason why I say that is because I think it's personal. I think Rossi sought a level of access through Crosby and was rebuffed. That's when the writer made things very personal. I think the same thing has happened between Rossi and Rutherford.
Don't get me wrong, Crosby has made his mistakes and so to has Rutherford. However, the level of criticism they have received – particularly from Rossi and Madden – has been at times comical.
Ray Shero, whom Rossi liked, presumably because he was getting access through him, does not get nearly enough criticism for his failures. We traded away a zillion first-round picks and we failed to develop many good defense prospects even though that's all we ever took when we did have a pick.
Pittsburgh has to stop trading away its top draft choices. That will definitely catch up with the Penguins. It has a number of depth guys who have stepped forward. However, those core guys are not going to be this good forever. The team has to start replacing them through the draft.
Literally every time Rob Ross he opens his mouth to talk about Sidney Crosby it is going to be something nasty and/or critical of the Penguins captain. I no longer even wait to stop to listen to what he has to say because I know what's coming. That's his thing. That is how Rossi has made his name in the local media - by taking on the Penguins' biggest star.
However, it's also almost always ridiculous.
In the past two years alone, Rossi has accused Crosby of being a coach killer and a guy who was well past his prime who needs to accept that reality and transition into a checking centers role. He didn't say this three years ago or five years ago, he said it six months ago. Crosby was playing poorly. However, he was entitled to half a bad season. Alex Ovechkin's had multiple bad full seasons. So too have every other NHL star.
Rossi has also accused Crosby of being a guy whose teammates don't like him and who think he is selfish. I know for a fact that almost all of those things are untrue and I'd be willing to bet that every one of those accusations none of those things are true.
The reason why I say that is because I think it's personal. I think Rossi sought a level of access through Crosby and was rebuffed. That's when the writer made things very personal. I think the same thing has happened between Rossi and Rutherford.
Don't get me wrong, Crosby has made his mistakes and so to has Rutherford. However, the level of criticism they have received – particularly from Rossi and Madden – has been at times comical.
Ray Shero, whom Rossi liked, presumably because he was getting access through him, does not get nearly enough criticism for his failures. We traded away a zillion first-round picks and we failed to develop many good defense prospects even though that's all we ever took when we did have a pick.
Pittsburgh has to stop trading away its top draft choices. That will definitely catch up with the Penguins. It has a number of depth guys who have stepped forward. However, those core guys are not going to be this good forever. The team has to start replacing them through the draft.
