It was announced on Monday that Matt Murray is the NHL’s Third Star of the Week after earning the Penguins a 3-0 record just last week. Murray is currently filling in for Marc-Andre Fleury who is out due to a concussion suffered during a game against the Nashville Predators.
This season, Murray has a 1.88 goal-against average, a .933 save percentage, is 7-2-1 and has one shutout in 10 NHL starts.
During this short time filling in for Fleury, Murray has managed to stop 52 of 54 shots, as well as helping the Penguins to clinch a playoff spot this season. Murray began his 3-0 record with a 5-4 win against the Buffalo Sabres, as well as proving his abilities in his first ever NHL shootout win.
Later that week, the Penguins faced the New York Islanders where he earned his first NHL shutout with a 5-0 win. This game also marked entry into the NHL playoffs for the team. The next day, the Penguins took on their closest rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers, where the Penguins took a 6-2 win, as well as saving 28 of 30 pucks that the Flyers shot.
Within these three games, Murray had a .929 save percentage as well as 1.95 goals-against average. Murray will be playing at the Ottawa game this Tuesday.
Murray’s honor marks the third-straight week that a Penguins player has been honored by the NHL, starting with Phil Kessel, who was named the NHL’s “Third Star,” and Sidney Crosby, who was name the NHL’s “First Star of the Week.”
Photo credit: @NHL
