The Pittsburgh Penguins are taking a chance on Saturday night with their decision at goaltender against the Montreal Canadiens.
Josh Getzoff confirmed that Sergei Murashov will get the starting nod in a showdown against Montreal. Murashov hasn’t played since Oct. 17, when the Penguins lost 6-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights.
This is a gamble for the Penguins, who have had a hot hand in Arturs Silovs. Especially given the way the Canadiens have been surging lately, having won four in a row and five of their last six. Montreal has also scored at least four goals in five of their last eight contests.
Meanwhile, Murashov has a 0-3-1 record, with an .883 save percentage and a 3.50 GAA. That said, he also has a .500 quality starts percentage. So, it’s not like Murashov has been playing poorly in every game. Still, against a team like Montreal, the hotter hand would be the safer option.
If Murashov wins this game, however, it could serve as an exceptional confidence booster. But Pittsburgh’s lines and pairings must also pitch in.
Pittsburgh Penguins Projected Lines And Pairings Against Montreal
Michelle Crechiolo reported that “The Penguins were practicing with the same configurations” on Friday at 12:25 p.m.
NHL.com also noted, “…the Penguins are expected to dress the same 18 skaters they used in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Utah Mammoth on Thursday.”
Should that hold, the Penguins will roll with Tommy Novak, Sidney Crosby, and Rickard Rakell on the first line. Crosby has seven points and three goals in 13 games, and he will keep trying to claw his way toward the point-per-game mark.
Egor Chinakhov, Ben Kindel, and Evgeni Malkin are the projected second line. Kindel had himself a monster game in his return on Thursday. Andrei Kuzmenko, Hendrix Lapierre, and Ville Koivunen are slated for the third line. Lapierre has been effective, with six points and two goals across nine games and 12:31 of average total ice time.
Connor Dewar, Blake Lizotte, and Nick Robertson look to round things out on the fourth line. Lizotte has been relatively physical with 11 hits in 13 games. He has also been invading lanes, with 15 blocks this year.
Spencer Stastney and the Penguins’ points leader, Erik Karlsson, are projected for the first pairing. With 13 points in 13 games, Karlsson could find himself in point-per-game territory when the quarter mark of the season hits in November.
Sam Girard made his return against Utah and is slated to once again line up alongside Kaedan Korczak. With six assists and 19 blocks, Korczak has been one of Pittsburgh’s better all-around defensemen.
Declan Carlile and Kris Letang are projected for the third pair. Letang also remains an all-around effective player with six points in 13 games, 16 hits, and 12 blocks across 20:15 of average total ice time.
Pittsburgh Getting Put To The Test Against Montreal
Going with Murashov in the net will test the Penguins. But so will bouncing back from such a heartbreaking loss on Thursday against a very good Utah Mammoth team.
If the Penguins get back on track against the Canadiens, they will at least keep themselves from falling back too far behind Metropolitan rivals like the New York teams and the Washington Capitals.
The bigger reward? String together much-needed momentum and begin winning more back-to-back games. The Penguins did just that when the season started with a 7-0 thrashing over the Philadelphia Flyers and an overtime win vs. this same Canadiens team.
Pittsburgh just needs to beat them again. They will get that chance when the puck drops at 7:00 p.m. EDT.
Penguins Take A Goaltending Gamble Against Surging Canadiens