How the Montreal Canadiens should prepare for Matt Murray

The Pittsburgh Penguins are led by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, but the Montreal Canadiens are also going to need to figure out a way to beat Matt Murray.

I don’t envy Claude Julien and the rest of the Montreal Canadiens coaching staff right now. Not only do they need to prepare for their team to take on Sidney Crosby, but they also need to withstand the force of Evgeni Malkin. It also ties down to the fact that the Habs themselves had a flurry of issues this season going back and forth between not being able to score and not being able to keep the puck out of their own net. Julien has a flurry of obstacles to contemplate, but analyzing Matt Murray can be a difference-maker.

Goaltending is going to be key in this series. That should be the biggest point of concern for the Penguins when it comes to breaking down the Habs. If Carey Price is on his legendary game, the series is more than winnable, and he’ll be able to keep the team in it long enough to scrounge together a win.

On the other hand, looking at Murray’s style should be another point of focus, seeing as how difficult it will be to contain Crosby and Malkin. The Montreal Canadiens can be structured when they want to be, but they’re also fast and relentless. Those characteristics have made the Habs become a team that can score off the rush or grind below the goal line to capitalize on second and third chances.

Rush scoring can be key here. There’s no guarantee that the Habs will be able to lock Pittsburgh into their own zone and cycle the puck for a long amount of time. It’s more likely that Montreal will spend more time defending and have to make the best out of the opportunities they get after breaking out of their zone with speed.

This is where Matt Murray comes in. The Habs will need to know all of Murray’s strengths and weaknesses, so they can generate some kind of danger when the time comes.

If you were following the Penguins this season, then you know there was a bit of a goalie controversy between Murray and Tristan Jarry. The former was meant to be the starter but eventually lost his job to the backup. Murray’s record wasn’t bad in the slightest sporting a 20-11-5 line. Unfortunately, it was more because of the team in front of him as he had a .899 save percentage finishing below .850 eight times.

The top critique of Murray’s game is his glove hand. It’s been quickly identified as his Achilles heel, and it’s come out more and more as the games grow. In the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs, we saw the Washington Capitals rifle pucks over his glove. That said, it was a little blown out of proportion.

What was holding Murray back this season was confidence, but that doesn’t mean the Montreal Canadiens shouldn’t keep it in mind. This is where the shooters come in.

Max Domi loves to shoot after blazing down the wall on the rush. A good chunk of his goalscoring came from that. If he can pick his corners, he may be able to beat Murray with his speed. The same goes for Jonathan Drouin.

That top line is more chaotic on the rush as they have an inkling for a more grinding style of play. What that does mean is whoever gets in the way, the puck is moving forward, even if players fall in the process. That can keep Murray moving around the crease and find some openings.

Nick Suzuki may also play a role in this. He’s a very deceptive shooter when he can be making it difficult for goaltenders to know whether it’s a shot or a pass that is coming. If so, that may make pairing Suzuki with Drouin the right move as the two can play off of each other.

It’s not as easy as it seems, and the Montreal Canadiens will have to do a lot of work at practice; however, the key for them is going to be persistence and urgency. They must have every opportunity count, even if the puck isn’t crossing the goal line every single time.