Matt Murray's Glove Hand

Honour Over Glory

Fire Sully
Jan 30, 2012
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Ward was like really good for 1 playoff and 1 season. Dude has been chasing that kind of play ever since. Murray has far more potential, but the Pens have to play it properly. They can't just assume his calm demeanor is fine for working things through. He needs support as well.
 
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WayneSid9987

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Nov 24, 2009
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Ah yeah. I mean hey, ****, although they missed out on some deep playoffs runs, the Pens have done real well with just a slightly above average goaltender for the last 15 years. I am sure even if Murray is average, the team can rise above.

I'd rather have a consistently average guy than a wildly unreliable tender. We'll see. This year and the next couple will really spell it out.

All of this.
JR needs to nail down competent goaltending THIS season tho. It's so important with another roster shake up happening next season with possible vacancies @ 3C, LW(Hags).

If Murr or Jarrs can't stop bleeding goals, JR should 100% get a vet backup he likes as quick as possible to give this current roster it's best shot at that big silver thing.

Good news is? Theres time. Time to figure out what Murr/Jarrs is gonna be THIS season.
 

TNT87

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I want to see Murray get that swagger back that he had during the two Cup runs.
 

Pancakes

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The decision to keep Murray was absolutely the best decision at that time. It was the best hockey decision and the best business decision. You don't get rid of a goalie who just won you two cups as a rookie over a veteran goalie with limited shelf life and some of the worst playoff failures ever.

Agreed. Even if Matt Murray becomes Cam Ward 2.0 you make the decision with the information you have at the time and the information suggested Murray was the right guy to keep.

If Murray continues to stink, oh well. Goalies are voodoo. You move on.

But Murray had a history of extremely strong play in the AHL and early on in the NHL so I still believe he can figure it out. Don't forget he's really freaking young still. It's easy to lose sight of that. Maf was woefully inconsistent early on. It took until he was 26 to settle into a reliable regular season goalie. Prior to that he was all over the place.

MM is 24. He's got time yet to figure things out. And he's got two cups already.

I would like to get a veteran to push him though. Desmith is solid but a vet who could steal his job would be good to both mentor and push MM.
 

Andy99

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Agreed. Even if Matt Murray becomes Cam Ward 2.0 you make the decision with the information you have at the time and the information suggested Murray was the right guy to keep.

If Murray continues to stink, oh well. Goalies are voodoo. You move on.

But Murray had a history of extremely strong play in the AHL and early on in the NHL so I still believe he can figure it out. Don't forget he's really freaking young still. It's easy to lose sight of that. Maf was woefully inconsistent early on. It took until he was 26 to settle into a reliable regular season goalie. Prior to that he was all over the place.

MM is 24. He's got time yet to figure things out. And he's got two cups already.

I would like to get a veteran to push him though. Desmith is solid but a vet who could steal his job would be good to both mentor and push MM.

Murray may play better as “the backup,” or with something to prove, and without all the pressure of being the number one netminder...I did advocate for us getting a veteran goaltender over the offseason...we’ll see what happens...hopefully that’s not him
 
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Peat

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Something kinda interesting about Murray last season was prior to it, his home-away split was pretty insignificant. But in 17-18, his home save percentage was .915 - still a little down but acceptable - and away from home it was .896.

DeSmith also had a radically lower away percentage compared to home (.937 vs .903).

I have no idea whether that's significant or not, but I do remember the team putting in a lot of putrid efforts on the road. Although weirdly our shot suppression stats were better away.
 

Burn

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Mar 24, 2018
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We have a team that lean way to over for offensive hockey. So Barrasso... Wregget... MAF and now Murray get thrown under the bus.

Everyone went crazy for MAF once he was no longer a starter but wanted to throw him under the bus after playoff chokes.

Look where all of these goals are coming from... A pro team can't give up so many shots from prime scoring areas and win.
 

Andy99

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Jun 26, 2017
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If you have a team with skilled offensive players and you’re trying to play aggressive offense game that caters to their strengths, then it’s a MUST that you have excellent goaltending, a top 10 goaltender in the league....otherwise, you play a tighter defensive style...since Murray hasn’t shown he can backstop a risk-taking system, it behooves the coaches to either 1) change goaltenders or 2) play differently ...otherwise we won’t be winning enough to make the POs...
 

maacoshark

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Jul 22, 2017
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Murray's "supposed weak glove hand" was pointed out in the Stanley Cup Final in 2016 vs San Jose by (it was one of Maguire, Keith Jones or Mike Milbury). These are the stats from the following season:
  • Braden Holtby: 44.5% of goals scored glove side
  • Marc-André Fleury: 35.5%
  • Matt Murray: 34.2%
  • Pekka Rinne: 32%
  • Henrik Lundqvist: 28.5%
I dont buy these stats. It might not the goalie has a weak glove. It could mean he covers the rest of the net very well. The best way to find a weakness is by watching film.
Another thing to take note of is that a high percentage of players like shooting glove side.
 

Honour Over Glory

Fire Sully
Jan 30, 2012
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I want to see Murray get that swagger back that he had during the two Cup runs.

People are far too quick to blame the defense first though. Even with that issue, there are some key issues in Murray's game. The lack of improvement in his glove hand and now his mechanics are off.

When a player in any position starts to second guess himself, it causes issues in their game. Whether it's a goal scorer, a defenseman, or a goaltender. I am hoping in the 4 days off, he's working at his angles and being more active with challenging shooters. He's a lanky guy and he's been playing too deep into his net. That to me shows he's a guy that isn't confident right now and hasn't been for a while.

We need Murray to be confident again.
 
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dogthateats

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May 26, 2011
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Yet the graphic SHOWS what glove side means. It's top shelf by and large.

cut.jpg

cut.jpg
Holtby seems weak low blocker. These graphics are cool.
 

EightyOne

My posts are jokes. And hockey is just a game.
Nov 23, 2016
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Holtby seems weak low blocker. These graphics are cool.

I wish I could find more. I find the area where goals were scored great. Gloveside means a lot of different things unless it's specified like these.
 

Randy Butternubs

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Mar 15, 2008
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Murray's "supposed weak glove hand" was pointed out in the Stanley Cup Final in 2016 vs San Jose by (it was one of Maguire, Keith Jones or Mike Milbury). These are the stats from the following season:
  • Braden Holtby: 44.5% of goals scored glove side
  • Marc-André Fleury: 35.5%
  • Matt Murray: 34.2%
  • Pekka Rinne: 32%
  • Henrik Lundqvist: 28.5%

Is there a website I can look up other goalie stats?
 

Richard

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Feb 8, 2012
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If you want to see each of the 11 goals scored on Murray so far this year in GIF form, broken down (although very concisely, it is Twitter after all), here's my thread:

https://twitter(dot)com/iCoachHockey/status/1049127393003278336
Goal 5 and 4 were stoppable. Murray holds his glove like a claw so he gets best over his arm every damn time. You can't get your glove to cover those shots you have to use your elbow


Look at his glove positioning versus other goalies. Its turned almost inside out.

This will be a problem for the rest of his career. Yes he can snag those full extension shots but he will get beat elbow side every time the shot is placed.

It's an error of technique. You just gotta live with it I dont know why goalie coaches try and reinvent the wheel
 

Andy99

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Jun 26, 2017
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20 Penguins Thoughts: Matt Murray, Marc-Andre Fleury and the pursuit of perfection

A lot of this article by Mackey is spent apologizing for Murray but it does get to the same issues many people here have addressed—Murray puts too much pressure on himself as the #1 goaltender....

If he can’t figure it out soon, we need to move on from him...this is the world of professional sports...you can’t apologize for it...some people can handle it, others can’t....
 

Peat

Registered User
Jun 14, 2016
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20 Penguins Thoughts: Matt Murray, Marc-Andre Fleury and the pursuit of perfection

A lot of this article by Mackey is spent apologizing for Murray but it does get to the same issues many people here have addressed—Murray puts too much pressure on himself as the #1 goaltender....

If he can’t figure it out soon, we need to move on from him...this is the world of professional sports...you can’t apologize for it...some people can handle it, others can’t....

For who? Its not like there's 31 teams in the NHL happy with their goaltender and you can maybe count the number of back ups ready to step up to the crease of one hand - if that.

The likelihood of Murray figuring it out long term is probably better than the likelihood of finding the answer in trade.
 

Andy99

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Jun 26, 2017
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For who? Its not like there's 31 teams in the NHL happy with their goaltender and you can maybe count the number of back ups ready to step up to the crease of one hand - if that.

The likelihood of Murray figuring it out long term is probably better than the likelihood of finding the answer in trade.

Well it looks like DeSmith or Jarry May get a chance anyway....I just think we needed to have a veteran there for Murray so he doesn’t feel like everything is on his shoulders...he may or may not figure it out longterm but right now he doesn’t seem suited to take on the mantle of #1 goalie...
 
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Coach Travis

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Goal 5 and 4 were stoppable. Murray holds his glove like a claw so he gets best over his arm every damn time. You can't get your glove to cover those shots you have to use your elbow


Look at his glove positioning versus other goalies. Its turned almost inside out.

This will be a problem for the rest of his career. Yes he can snag those full extension shots but he will get beat elbow side every time the shot is placed.

It's an error of technique. You just gotta live with it I dont know why goalie coaches try and reinvent the wheel
I mean, Carlson's shot is stoppable if he just happens to fire that right into his glove. Maybe if Matt's one of the great reactionary goaltenders who come along in a lifetime but he's not. He depends on positioning and Carlson's shot was the perfect rocket (title of your sex tape).

And again, Matt gets beat glove side about as often as every goalie in the league. He's just the only one that people mention it. You never see a stream of "Oh, there's Holtby with the weak glove hand AGAIN!" when he gets scored on. It's self-fulfilling bias.
 

Richard

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Feb 8, 2012
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I mean, Carlson's shot is stoppable if he just happens to fire that right into his glove. Maybe if Matt's one of the great reactionary goaltenders who come along in a lifetime but he's not. He depends on positioning and Carlson's shot was the perfect rocket (title of your sex tape).

And again, Matt gets beat glove side about as often as every goalie in the league. He's just the only one that people mention it. You never see a stream of "Oh, there's Holtby with the weak glove hand AGAIN!" when he gets scored on. It's self-fulfilling bias.
It's not glove, its glove side. He gets beat elbow. It's hard to put into words but you dont twist your glove up to catch a puck from your fully extended forearm to shoulder, you shrug your shoulder.

Murray twists he hand so much that moving his elbow up with any degree of speed is impossible. Murray is fine with most shots high glove. He's at least NHL average there. He is way below average glove side. There is the difference
 
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BladeRunner66

Two-Headed Jerk
Oct 23, 2017
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Probably.

He plays it lower than some others.

Just accept it.

It's still a tough shot for pros to snipe high. If he gives that up but is solid elsewhere...drink your medicine. (The issue is he isn't that solid elsewhere starting last year...so...It magnifies the glove issue).
Ahem... he may have to adapt since blade angles* can get there easily and moving an arm upwards is slower than downwards.

* I used to play hockey ball (with running shoes indoors), once i didn't show up with a stick, a friend didn't show up so i took his stick (after calling him), i scored non-stop, personal record, because his blade angle was perfectly bent for top corners, crazy shit, all my shots went at a perfect height, every singly time. An opponent called it my festival, i just called myself lucky to end up with his stick.
 

EightyOne

My posts are jokes. And hockey is just a game.
Nov 23, 2016
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Usually NHL players are good enough to not allow shots uncontested...therefore, picking corners is still difficult for shooters.

Our D haven't challenged much and let up breakaway after breakaway, thereby letting players get that space and snipe on Murray.

It's all related. But even still. We've griped about Murray playing deep and small in net since first call-up. That just gives a bigger target and our team isn't getting bodies or sticks in the way of shots, giving opponents that extra quarter second to rip it home.
 

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