SAN JOSE, Calif. – Picking Matt Murray to start over Marc-Andre Fleury on Saturday against the Sharks at SAP Center represents the first difficult decision Penguins coach Mike Sullivan has had to make regarding his goaltending situation.
Sullivan wanted Murray to see some game action from the bench, so he backed up for three games. That delayed Murray’s 2016-17 debut until Wednesday in Anaheim, when Murray stopped 32 of 33 shots in a 5-1 Penguins win. Fleury started the next night in Los Angeles, knocked a puck into his own net, lost and ceded three goals in the process.