Hot Potato: Let's hope Sullivan knows what he's doing

The Pittsburgh Penguins switched goalies two days ago. It didn't go as planned. Today, they are switching goalies again. Was it the right call? Well, I sure as hell hope so.

As you might recall, on Sunday, I wrote an article supporting the Penguins decision to bench young phenom Matt Murray for the more established netminder, Marc-Andre Fleury, for a crucial game five that would take place that night in Pittsburgh. The decision didn't exactly work to perfection, as Fleury allowed four goals and the Pens went down in flames, 4-3, on a fluke goal by Tampa Bay Lightning winger, Tyler Johnson.

Looking back, it is easy to see why fans have been critical of the decision to turn back to Fleury. Aside from the 20 minutes he played in game 4, ''The Flower''  hadn't been on the ice for close to two months. So, it is possible that there was some rust on the Consol Energy Center ice on Sunday (aside from Bryan). It's easy to question the move to a cold goaltender but had Fleury shut the door on the Bolts; nobody would have said a word. In spite of Fleury's rust, he is still a good enough goalie to stop any offense in the league. This is especially true given the fact that St. Louis Blues coach Ken Hitchcock tried something very similar on Saturday night to what Sullivan would do on Sunday. Before game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, Hitchcock decided to switch out netminder Brian Elliot with Jake Allen, who had not started in the postseason. The move worked, as the Blues evened up the series.

Many people feel that Sullivan made a mistake by switching goalies for game 5, and apparently, Mike Sullivan is one of those people. The Penguins announced earlier today that Matt Murray is once again, at least for now, the starting goaltender for your Pittsburgh Penguins.

Now, I don't necessarily agree or disagree with this move. On the one hand, I feel that the Eastern Conference Finals are not an ideal time to play ''Hot Potato'' with goaltenders. In other words, the Pens should just make up their minds and decide who the goalie is and stick with him till the end. On the other hand, much like before game 5, the Penguins need a boost for a do-or-die game 6. Murray has proven himself as a reliable goaltender, and he could very well be the guy to give them that jolt and keep the season alive.

Whatever the case may be, I sure hope Mike Sullivan knows what he's doing. If he gets this right, it could lead to the Penguins lifting Lord Stanley's Cup. If he gets it wrong, it could lead to them lifting a bag of golf clubs.