Any chance Murray takes over for the rest of the playoffs?

[SomeOldDude]

Not only no, but it would be stupid to do so! You always ride the hot hand out until the streak is done. Right now Flower is in CS territory and Murray is still injured even though he is on the bench.

Murray is the future for sure because he is younger, cheaper, and better, but Fleury is on a mission right now and you can't mess with that. I think it will be amazing to see him win the Cup and then gracefully move on to his next team. It will silence all of the critics about his playoff performance and being a mental case, myself included!

Good luck Flower...LETS GO PENS!!

 

[armani]

It doesn't matter if it's Murray or the Flower. Ottawa has beat better goalies in Hank and Tuuka.

Bring it!

 

[Old Gregg]

It doesn't matter if it's Murray or the Flower. Ottawa has beat better goalies in Hank and Tuuka.

Bring it!

And Pittsburgh has made 2 of 3 Vezina candidates for this year look like fools....

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Is it possible? Of course.

I really don't see it happening, though. The nature of Murray's injury alone makes it hard for me to count on him as anything more than a change of pace for a game or two. He's a nice card to have in your deck, and I can absolutely see him getting in a game at some point...but really the only way I see him becoming the starter again in these playoffs is if Fleury gets hurt.

 

[Riptide]

They go with Fleury until he loses a game or two.

This. Unless he gets blown out in a game (much like Murray did in game 4 in TB last year), it's MAFs net. However if he gets pulled mid game and Murray does okay, I could easily see him getting the net the following game (like MAF did last year). If he does well, he could easily keep the net. If he falters, then it would go back to MAF.

Just like last year, there's simply no reason to make a change at this point. I'm just happy we have MM back so that if we need him, he's an option. Having Jarry there was concerning - fortunately it wasn't an issue.

 

[Brewsky]

Did you seriously consider this question after watching MAF this post-season?

 

[DMR]

This is Flower's last run with the Pens. No way they do that to him the way he's playing. He would have to go to pieces over multiple games. Plus, his teammates absolutely love him and it would not go over well in that room anything short of a total meltdown on his part.

 

[TNT87]

I never thought I would say this but it's clear this is MAFs job to lose. No way do you take him out now. If he falters a couple of games sure but ride the hot hand.

 

[tony d]

No, I think Fleury's on a tight leash now but unless he plays bad for a game or two the job will be his.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

One thing that I have noticed about Fleury which is a change from the past is that he is almost anchored to the front of that cage, unless no one is around. As often as not he stays in the cage and lets the puck go around to the waiting defenseman on the other side of the ice.

He is smothering the puck more often rather than trying to move it as well. Both have made a huge difference for him, as when he tries to get too cute because of his athleticism he gets into trouble.

As long as he keeps that up there is no reason to change, he is playing like Murray did last year.

 

[Pancakes]

Sully learned his lesson from last year about bringing in a rusty goalie. Maf isn't coming out unless the Pens get in desperation mode (ie he has two-three awful starts in a row) and maybe not even then.

 

[ZeroPucksGiven]

I think the assumption here is that MM is 100%. I don't believe he is.

Yup I know he's backing up, but the only other option was Jarry and I don't think any coach has the guts to put him in.

MAF would absolutely have to bomb in Games 1 and 2 for MM to get the net in Game 3

 

[mrzeigler]

Murray did not have a great second half of the season. He improved down the stretch but still was not playing at his best going into the playoffs. His glove hand was particularly worrisome.

So, while I understand the argument that when all things are equal Murray is fundamentally better, all things are not equal here. Goalie A has won two series and played very well. Goalie B is coming off of an injury and wasn't at his best before he went down.

In any scenario other than Fleury getting shellacked -- and not just because of defensive shortcomings -- it would be a very risky move to shift to Murray.

 

[66871]

I think the assumption here is that MM is 100%. I don't believe he is.

Yup I know he's backing up, but the only other option was Jarry and I don't think any coach has the guts to put him in.

MAF would absolutely have to bomb in Games 1 and 2 for MM to get the net in Game 3

This.

I would not even be surprised to see Jarry back on the bench for the first two games against the Sens. Sullivan's thinking last night might have been "I have no idea how long Murray will last if I need him...but there's no way I'm dropping Jarry into a game 7."

 

[DucksAreCool]

The only way Fleury gets replaced at this point is if he is very bad in two games in a row or two out of three. He's been good enough to earn one rebound after a bad game but two bad games in a short span and they'll probably go with Murray. If that happens, though, I don't think it will last long as I think Pittsburgh will be out if Fleury falters that badly.

To be clear, that's two bad games, not two losses. Fleury should still start even if Pittsburgh loses two in a row at some point as long as his play is pretty good in those losses.

 

[hagelin1381]

MAF would probably have to revert back to his 2012 playoff form for that to happen. He's been great thus far, can't see them sitting him

 

[radapex]

This.

I would not even be surprised to see Jarry back on the bench for the first two games against the Sens. Sullivan's thinking last night might have been "I have no idea how long Murray will last if I need him...but there's no way I'm dropping Jarry into a game 7."

I could actually see that. Tough dropping Jarry into game 7 if things went bad, so it'd make sense that Murray was a last resort insurance policy.

 

[Butch 19]

What kind of terrible question is this?

you are way too kind....

 

[DMR]

Not to mention the fact that Flower's trade value increases with every solid performance. Pens are maximizing thier return.

 

[GrkFlyersFan]

I agree with most of you. Fleury's the starter, and will stay in net until he falters. The question will be how long the leash is. Is he one bad start from riding the pine, or will it take more than that? Either way, Fleury's your starter in Game 1 of the ECF.

 

[Ezekial]

Absolutely not, Flower deserves to play until he loses the job.

 

[CanadianPensFan1]

Hot. Hand. Always.

Why is this a thread?

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Ryan Getzlaf and Erik Karlsson say hi.

Every team has a leader and MAF is absolutely the Pens in terms of this honor if they win it. Then again they screwed up the two bigger contenders on the Pens last year when handing it out.

MAF should keep the net, in fact he deserves more than one bad start at this point. He has been exceptional.

Not to mention the fact that Flower's trade value increases with every solid performance. Pens are maximizing thier return.

His argument on telling them tough luck I am not waiving gets more solid everyday too. I doubt he will, but it would be interesting if come June MAF looks at them and says hey I just won the Conn Smythe, I am not waiving my deal to enter the expansion draft or be traded.

 

[aufheben]

Not a terrible question at all. THIS HAPPENED LAST YEAR. Murray was pulled in Game 4 vs Tampa. Fleury started Game 5 and didn't get the win, so Murray went back in for Games 6 and 7.

Murray had numbers better than Fleury too.

Murray through 2 rounds in 2016: 7-2 .935 2.05
Fleury through 2 rounds this year: 8-4 .927 2.55

That's not really what the question is.

 

[PJT]

Fleury is the Rodney Dangerfield of the NHL - No respect.

The guy is on pace to be a top-10 winningest goaltender of all-time next season. Two-time cup winner (yes he was on the bench for most of last post-season, but was having a career year before his concussion.) Consistently good franchise goalie since 2003. How many other goalies have that longevity of success?

I feel he could win the Cup and Conn Smythe this season and still be treated like some flakey flash-in-the-pan netminder.

It's time MAF starts receiving a little more respect from the hockey world, in my opinion.