Speak softly and carry a big (goalie) stick.
OK, that’s not exactly how the proverb goes, but it seems appropriate when discussing Penguins goaltender Matt Murray these days.
Through three games of the Eastern Conference semifinals, there was no shortage of questions surrounding Murray.
Many talked about the goal he allowed to Matt Niskanen in Game 3, a squeaker that Murray himself said he should have stopped. Others wondered whether Murray’s hot streak to start the Flyers series had ended.
Murray isn’t about to delve too deeply into either topic — or at least he didn’t seem terribly interested postgame.
“Just stop the next shot,” Murray said with a smile when asked about his process of forgetting a bad game and moving onto the next.
While Murray’s words may not say a ton in this regard, his actions say infinitely more.
The 23-year-old netminder stopped 20 of 21 shots to bounce back in a big way and help the Penguins beat the Capitals, 3-1, in Game 4 Thursday to tie the series at two games apiece.
“He’s a real mature kid,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “Matt has great perspective. He self-assesses really well. He knows when he thinks he can be better. He tends to respond the right way in those situations."
With the win, Murray improved to 11-2 in his career following a playoff loss, a record that perfectly illustrates his short memory and mental toughness.
In this one, too, Murray even flashed some physical toughness.
Dmitry Orlov’s shot early in the second period hit Murray in the shoulder/collarbone area, causing his arm to go numb.
After a visit from head athletic trainer Chris Stewart, Murray regrouped, regained any sort of feeling he had lost and marched on.
“It just took a minute,” Murray said. “Your arm kind of goes dead. You try to take a couple minutes. It felt really good after that.”
Looked really good, too, as the only goal Murray allowed was a power-play goal for Washington that occurred after Riley Sheahan appeared to lose T.J. Oshie in the high slot.
It was a terrific look the Capitals got because the Penguins were understandably focused on Alex Ovechkin in the left circle.
Other than that, Murray shut down the Capitals.
“He’s really strong mentally, and obviously he’s played in a lot of big games,” Sidney Crosby said. “I thought he’s been great all series. I’m sure he has high expectations of himself. We always have confidence in him. He had another great game here [Thursday].”
If the Penguins are going to finish off the Capitals, they’ll need Murray to continue showing the type of game that he did on Thursday, the same form he flashed in the Flyers series.
There seems to be little question in the Penguins dressing room whether Murray’s capable of doing that
“He’s a character guy,” Kris Letang said. “He always bounces back. He’s a huge part of our team. He calms us down when things don’t go our way. He was big [Thursday].”
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: May 4, 2018, 3:52 a.m.
