PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury gave a faint smile and waved his glove at the camera, acknowledging the cheers of the Consol Energy Center crowd when his image flashed on the scoreboard during the first period Monday night.
But as the Penguins completed their 3-2 win over the Washington Capitals to take a 2-1 lead in this Eastern Conference semifinal series, the goalie who led them to their most recent Stanley Cup did not leave his perch outside the boards.
Pittsburgh didn’t need him, not with the way their 21-year-old rookie played for much of Game 3.
Matt Murray finished with a career-high 47 saves Monday, the most in a regulation playoff game by a Pittsburgh goalie.
Without Murray, Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist said, “There’s no way we win this game.”
The Capitals entered this series believing they had a decided advantage between the pipes, with Braden Holtby coming off a regular season in which he tied Martin Brodeur’s NHL single-season record for wins.
Moreover, Holtby entered Monday leading the league in goals-against average and save percentage during these playoffs.
Murray, meanwhile, began the postseason with just 13 NHL starts to his credit, but he has successfully outdueled Holtby through three games of this series.
Between the time Washington’s Marcus Johansson scored on the power play in the third period of Game 2 and Alex Ovechkin fired a third-period wrist shot for the Capitals’ first goal Monday, Murray stopped 47 shots in a row. He won for the 12th time in 13 games on an evening in which the Penguins readily admitted they were outplayed.
“He’s the most competitive, hardest-working goalie I’ve ever seen in practice,” defenseman Ben Lovejoy said. “He is out there almost to a fault battling, where guys are getting [ticked] off at him and you’re trying to shoot harder. His biggest asset is he’s always in the right position . . . so you need a perfect shot or a rebound or a second rebound to get one by him.”
Capitals Coach Barry Trotz conceded “no question, [Murray] was the reason they had success.” In Pittsburgh, though, they’re starting to get used to these sorts of performances.
Teammates often mention Murray’s cool demeanor, and it was tested Monday when Fleury emerged on the bench again. Murray could have looked over his shoulder, wondering if the team’s longtime starter might soon be called into duty.
Coach Mike Sullivan said the veteran goaltender received medical clearance Monday morning to play in Game 3.
But Sullivan also knew the mental toughness Murray had shown since being called up to the NHL this year, admiring how “he controls what he can and he doesn’t really concern himself with what he can’t.”
“On a personal level, it doesn’t really matter,” Murray said. “Everything else is noise. I just try not to think about it and bring my same mind-set.”
In fact, Murray said seeing Fleury on the bench brought a level of comfort. He skated over during timeouts and asked for advice on how he could’ve played a shot differently.
Sometimes Fleury, known for his laid-back personality, told a joke to keep Murray loose. It helped as the Capitals sent a barrage of shots Murray’s way during a furious third-period comeback attempt.
So when Murray came back inside the locker room after earning the game’s first star and finishing the first of several national television interviews, Fleury delivered one last encouraging message to the rookie who has, at least temporarily, stolen his playoff spotlight.
“He just said he’s proud of me,” Murray said, “and that I played well.”
