Screw it, bring back Flower

It's time this man gets his job back

Three weeks ago today, I posted an article in which I stated my belief that the Pittsburgh Penguins #1 goalie job was young Matt Murray's to lose. In the post, I compared the situation between him and Marc-Andre Fleury to the QB battle of Drew Bledsoe and Tom Brady from back in 2001. I also wrote about how, well, hell, you can just read the whole thing right here. http://joesmeltzer775.blogspot.com/2016/05/sorry-marc-andre-murray-is-for-real.html. For awhile, it looked as if Murray could do no wrong as the young man proved instrumental in Pittsburgh's series win over the mighty Washington Capitals. However, chinks have begun to appear in Murray's armor, and that is why the change that Mike Sullivan had made between the pipes was the right call.

It's not because Murray has done anything horribly wrong. Through 4 games in the conference finals, Murray has allowed 11 goals, which makes out to be a 2.75 goals against average. Murray's save percentage over that same timespan is .896. Neither of these numbers are terrible, but they show that Murray has slipped a bit since the quarterfinals wrapped up. Against Washington, Murray's GAA was 2.50, and his save percentage was .927. Those numbers, by comparison, suggest that Murray is fading, but it's hardly been his fault. In the ECF, Murray has been a victim of defensive lapses from Olli Matta and Kris Letang. So, while Murray has not been great recently, he has not been bad either. So, why make the switch? Because Marc-Andre Fleury is the man.

Fleury was, in my opinion, the Penguins MVP of the regular season. He has been a franchise cornerstone since he joined the league in 2003, and he is, of course, one hell of a goaltender. In Game 4 on Friday, Tampa Bay got out to a commanding 4-0 lead, and when Mike Sullivan pulled Murray for the man called "flower" it appeared to be a white flag. But the Pens were not ready to take off the gloves, as they scored three goals and narrowly came up short.

With the series tied at 2, this team needs momentum, and there is some evidence that Fleury could be the mojo that the Pens need. It seemed as if the minute that Mike Sullivan decided to switch goalies, the momentum shifted. I'm not suggesting that this was directly related to the switch, but I think it could have had a positive effect on the players, and the way they battled would certainly support that theory. With the much anticipated arrival of Sean Michales to the Steel City already giving the city some extra juice, Fleury's return will only add to the vibe. The most important thing that Fleury has that Murray does not is playoff experience.

Now, it is no secret to smart Pens fans that Fleury has not historically been a great playoff goalie. In 2012, he performed horribly against the hated Flyers, contributing to a first round playoff exit. In 2013, his performance got him benched for backup Thomas Vokun. However, there have been other instances in which Flower has been fantastic in the postseason, such as 2011 when he nearly led the Pens out of the first round despite the losses of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. In 2014 and 2015, Flower was, for the most part, outstanding, and was forced to carry the club on several occasions. Oh, and then there was that Stanley Cup win in 2009, but that's just a footnote.

Matt Murray will be an excellent goaltender in this league, and should the Pens win the Stanley Cup, he will be a big reason why. But he still has a lot to learn. The Penguins don't have time for learning at the moment. They need to win and win now. In my opinion, Flower gives them the best chance to do that.