Penguins/NHL
Game 4: Murray or Fleury?
It was bound to happen that once Matt Murray was deemed healthy enough to play, that the first slip up from Marc Andre Fleury would lead to a controversy in goal.
The Penguins now have one as they enter Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final down two games to one.
Mike Sullivan left the door open for a change following Game 3 in saying he had to sleep on it.
The facts are Sullivan believes Matt Murray is a better goaltender than Marc Andre Fleury and that’s been clear since Murray evolved on the scene last spring. The slightest opportunity to turn to Murray, Sullivan was always going to strongly consider going back to Murray.
For Sullivan, I don’t think there’s a wrong decision on whether he goes with Fleury or Murray for Game 4.
The popular decision is to stick with Fleury and if Sullivan cares about his sky high approval rating (he doesn’t care), then you stick with Fleury on a very short leash.
The organization and players have been driven by the potential of a storybook ending here that’s played out for Fleury and if Sullivan makes the decision based on majority support, there will be a push to stick with Fleury just because of how loved he is from so many.
From an on-ice perspective, one thing Fleury has going for him is he’s shown the ability to bounce back this post-season from poor/average starts that has to be taken into consideration.
Games 3 and 4 in Round 1 he allowed 9 goals, comes back in Game 5 with a 49 save performance. Game 5 and 6 in Round 2 Fleury allowed 9 goals and looked to be finally reverting back into normal Marc Andre Fleury. Fleury, though, bounces back in Game 7 with a shutout.
What Sullivan’s not going to do is make the decision for Game 4 on what’s fair. That’s not how he operates.
Putting Fleury on the bench when he has 2 shutouts in his last four games might not be fair but what the coaches also have to look at is that Fleury’s 2-4 in his last six games with a .902 save percentage.
This team is banged up, fatigued and trending down at this moment.
Benching Fleury would not make him the scapegoat.
It would just be part of the process of the coaches going back to their No. 1 goaltender. Let’s not forget, Matt Murray is the No. 1 goaltender here.
He led the Penguins to a Stanley Cup last season and outplayed Marc Andre Fleury by a large stretch during the regular season to earn the right to be the guy.
What this decision comes down to for Sullivan is whether he wants to risk going down without turning to his No. 1 goaltender?
Difficult decision for Penguin coaches today and there’s no wrong decision here even if going in one particular direction back fires tomorrow night.
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I’m the idiot but I’m the only one who made the same call as the coach who won the cup last year. All hail the Saint for playing the best hockey of his career in the first two rounds but murray is the better player and it’s the right call. Now it is time for you to all bow down to your prophet……and I looooooooove it!
You literally called an MAF melt down from game 2 of the 1st round on… I guess we can give you this one after being wrong for 13 straight!
He was even wrong this time – Fleury didn’t melt down last game.
“I’m the idiot” is the most honest dead on accurate thing you’ve ever posted. Prophecy fulfilled!
Beauty!
Yoda was right!
#prophecyfullfilled
The “prophecy” said Game 1 – remember? Cause I told you I’d bet you $5k Fleury started Game 1, and you ignored it, because you’re a raging pusssy.
Sounds like Murray in net tonight, per Twitter. I would have thought Sully learned his lesson on this last year, but alas, he’s taking the same approach. Whatever. I don’t care. I just hope he’s making the right call. A win is a win is a win, and unlike some people, that’s all I care about – just hope he’s making the right call.
Better payoff, looks like someone got some shit to stick
Murray in tonight.
“Tonight’s game for the Pens is as important as Getzlaf’s **** is big and fills my mouth out to the standard PK Subban just couldn’t deliver on, and Kessel wouldn’t show me his hotdawg either” – sammich
This is it tonight is the most important game for the pens.
Let’s see which pens will show up tonight pens from game 2 or game 3. If pens lose tonight it will be game over for them. I don’t see besting Anderson 3 games in a row after that.
I thought Game 7 was the most important game for the pens.
Go back to your hole dumb asss
Then you wonder why less and less people come on this site. It’s because if dumb asss smart asses like you and npl. You guys bring nothing to this board 95% of your comments are replies to others comments with negativity and stupidly. Now go wait pens game 7 for that important that you are waiting for
Luckily you’re still here to lure them all back. People come here to read what you have to say. That much is for certain.
That’s the coach’s decision,” Evgeni Malkin said. “Both goalies are good. Flower had a bad game, not great game last time, but I think he’s ready to play tomorrow. He has great confidence. We believe in him.” When was the last time you heard a player say their goalie played a bad game. And you Geno?
Flower had a bad game? More like the team in front of flower were sleeping in the first period
And our Russian had 12min of penalty.
Getzlaf is a man.
You need zerotools approval
So dumb
Nice overtime goal subban
Lol, explain how Subban, who was in position albeit alone, was at fault? You never cease to amaze. That said he is also 2 wins from the finals, boy Montreal could have used a Subban but they don’t have one because your GM is a fucken idiot that listened to a stupid French cuntt that’s now fired and traded that piece for an older, far slower model that’s far enough out of his prime that the down side is evident. Fuckk you sammich lol
Besides… PK is a Canadian, you should be swallowing him to the taint, balls and all, like you do with Crosby and apparently Getzlaf lol
What was everyones favorite Sega Genesis game the last time a Canadian team won the cup?
#CanadasGame
I preferred Chivalry on my Macintosh.
Sam was playing on his Tandy with a 386 processor.
Which is pretty much a step down from his current blackberry.
I bet the frogs shed a tear every time they hear Tag Team.
NBA Jam was the shyt
There was an article today why does USA continues to fail at the world championship
Can you tell us npl or stain why?
I’d say it’s because *yawn* nobody cares, it’s the most retarded tournament of the year all based on who’s been eliminated from the REAL tournament.
What about the WC in September that was a embarrassing tournament as well? I’ll make the excuse for you they lost because no Ryan or chubby
Whooooooooooo Cares
https://i.makeagif.com/media/10-29-2015/Hrfq-K.gif
Sam’s world championship post was a real hit, it would appear.
http://cdn3-www.craveonline.com/assets/uploads/gallery/things-to-make-you-feel-better/things-that-will-make-you-feel-better-5.gif
Oh I know maybe team doesn’t have Canadian members to make them shine
Dumb Frog. They won the juniors, and the under 18’s as well. The women won as well. You would know this if you would stop turning off your TV.
I can answer that Sammiecakes. Because it’s a stupid showcase that we don’t care about, we focus on keeping the Cup in the US and not some fakes tournament that no one but you cares about.
On a side note, WTF is Toews doing at that roundtable on NBCSN with gretzky, orr, lemieux and Sid? I try not to hate toews, but it’s unreal how overrated he is.
Those championship rings suggest otherwise.
Kunitz has 3 rings
And Kunitz is a fantastic hockey player.
Just the type of small minded comment we’ve come to expect from you. Craig Adams > Ovy.
I can’t decipher that post.
Steelers just released LeDarius Green.
is there a worse free agent signing in steelers history?
I can’t think of one off of the top of my head.
Ziggy Palffy.
Just reinforces Steelers mindset that FA is wrong way to build team. Too bad.
Not that this guarantees anything but Fleury had the solo net at practice today which is usually reserved for the starter while Murray/Jarry split the other net at today’s practice. I can’t believe D didn’t get that from his inside sources or from people in the know .
Gaydogg, is that you?
The meltdown potential is too great. Go down 3-1 and its over. Never put money down long term on the saint. Murray should and will get the start.
Well that all but guarantees that not only does Fleury starts but that he’ll play great. God knows anything you say has ZERO chance of coming true.
Well statistically not zero, his entire online history has been throwing shit at a wall till something sticks!
Not really, I said as soon as they saint was replaced they’d win the cup. Im saying again if the saint isn’t replaced they aren’t winning the cup.
So you are of the belief that if Murray plays then Sid will shoot more and return to pre-concussed Sid? Malkin will stablize on the ice and control the emotions? Kessel will shoot more? Schultz, Letang, Rust and Hornqvist come back healthy? Sheary finds his game again and Sid and the Kids starts to click once more? Or do you simply think that Murray will just will the team to Ws nightly regardless of their spotty play?
If Murray plays the pens win the series. The saint is trending down. If he plays sens in6
3 of the last four games have been 3 of his best in the playoffs. Trending down!!! Do you get tired of looking like you don’t know what you’re watching? Because we do.
Boxscore, chocolate donut you useless fuuck. Pronto.
The last thing you need is another donut. I’m sure enough of your asss is already exposed when you’re unclogging the shitter from your wife’s massive dumps. Now be a doll and go mop the kitchen floor.
Stick with Fleury, short leash is right. Dejan has a really good column on the “controversy,” as well as observations on line up changes that I agree with.
RIP Chris Cornell
That sucks. He was amazingly talented
that does suck
Cornell, layne staley and Scott weiland were my favorites from that era. Sucks they are all gone.
Cornell would have still been around if he had the balls to carry on. Guess all the money and readily available pusssy was too much for him to handle and he took the easy way out.
Being a touring musician is a very hard life. When you have more money than you need, money provides no happiness. Chasing ***** is fun when you are in your 20’s, but having a wife and children who hate you because you missed 20 years of life living in a bus because of the contract you signed when you were 25 and still obligated to is miserable. God rest his soul. That mother f-Er could sing and scream like no other.
Oh, he had a great voice. And now he has three kids without a dad.
Spoken like a dumb 15 year old
It certainly doesn’t surprise me that you’re going to bat for a world class coward.
Samurai warriors weren’t cowards when they fell on their swords. Neither were the kamikaze’s. Crazy sum bitches yes, but not cowards. You don’t know the circumstances so beat it.
You’re right yogurt – to be fair, he might have just been trying to choke fuckk himself, right? Or, there’s a better chance you’re just carrying on modern society’s legacy – which is to make excuses for people that make awful decisions that generally affect other people negatively.
False equivalency for one… two there is a good reason why they no longer practice things like bushido… while it is romanticized in movies, Samurai were not the wonderful fellas you probably think they were. They were usually brutal so using them as an example? Ya it doesnt help your argument.
It’s sad that Cornell felt that he had nothing left to live for but it’s far sadder for the kids that he couldn’t find it in him to push on for them. Suicides happen for many reasons but cowardice is almost always among them.
Has there even been confirmation that he committed suicide ?
Yes, he hung himself
Brutal
*beat me to it.
Although I fucked up hanged and hung LOL
Yes – he hanged himself.
Staley was my fav. Loved Cornell. STP’s first album was sweet.
Dumb asss Americans. They make a national news just because some idiot hurt 13 people at the time square while other areas in the world it’s way worst and you don’t even hear anything about it
Way worst.
Really? You mean you don’t get the news when this shit goes on elsewhere? Or is this one of these moron moments where you stand on a soapbox beating your chest for atrocities you cannot name that you currently only care about because people are talking about New York? News for you, they are not hypocrites… you are. When something happens closer to home more people in this area of the world can relate. We may know someone there or someone personally affected. These other horrors, while no less tragic, dont impact most the same way. It is human nature… Read more »
Update… sounds alcohol related
I don’t see this situation any different than the one they faced last year, you stick with the guy that got you there and you ride him win or lose. HCMS will have learned from the mistake he made last year in trying to turn to a cold goalie who hadn’t played all playoffs long and I’m confident he won’t make the same mistake again.
Yep Sullivan clearly thought Murray was the better goalie last year when he yanked him at the first sign of adversity to go with MAF who hadn’t played a game in 2 months. Does anyone outside of Yoda, Maloni & Sam actually believe any of the BS that D writes?
Short answer? Not a chance.
I love that youre answering your alias. Lonely dude.
I love that you’re dumb enough to believe that.
They could have had Pekka Rinne in net last night and they still would have lost.
So fleury gets the blame while team in front of him can’t score. Typical Pittsburgh bandwagon media. Team wins and media talks about Crosby, malkin, chubby. Team can’t score it’s okay we blame on fleury. When every single game in the playoffs pens are playing poorly and flat in the first period. Well you can note this D and rest of the bandwagon media it is fleury’s fault pens are still in playoffs
Let’s also throw out the elephant in the room – they’ve scored 3 goals in 3 games. 5 goals in 4 games. 7 goals in 5 games. Just not gonna cut it. If they don’t find a way to start putting the puck in the net again, you could throw Maloni in goal with his plunger as a stick, and it’s not going to make a lick of difference.
This is the real story of tomorrows game. Can’t score and most of their chances are one and done.
Murray is way more consistent and for the 2+ periods he played last night, he reminded you why Fleury is the back up. Fleury has looked great for the better part of the playoffs and we wouldn’t be here without him, but you have to go with Murray. The fact the Fleury seems to struggle more on the road should also be taken into consideration.
Murray didn’t look like he struggled because the team didn’t struggle in front of him. Shy of the wrap-around, which was a vintage MAF overplay, I don’t really think he played poorly. I think, true to form, the team came out in the first and took a big dump down their leg.
I’m certainly not putting the loss on Fleury, but I just felt early on he looked a little unsteady and with us already down 2-1, I just trust Murray more. Our defense could hardly compete in the AHL and we haven’t scored more than a goal in any of these games. There are a lot of arguments to be made either way. Personally, I just have more faith in Murray, but I also understand I’m probably in the minority there.
Yeah Murray did play better in 2 periods but defense was less of a mess compare how they started last night although the complete game the D was garbage
“Gave up 9 goals and looked like he was finally reverting back to “normal” Marc-Andre Fleury.”
Again, the guys pandering to one reader couldn’t be more fucken obvious. I am guessing one or the other spills their unborn children on the others face regularly