TAMPA, Fla. -- Matt Murray will be the Penguins' starter for the do-or-die Game 6 of the Eastern Conference final, Mike Sullivan confirmed after the team's Tuesday morning skate at Amalie Arena.
Murray was chosen over Marc-Andre Fleury, who returned from a two-month concussion absence for Game 5 and allowed goals on four of the Lightning's final 14 shots in a 4-3 overtime loss Sunday. The coach acknowledged that Fleury's possible rust was a factor in the decision.
"Matt has played extremely well for us in the playoffs," Sullivan said. "I think his performance speaks for itself. He's won big games. He's made timely saves. He's had a calming effect on our group. He's been thrown into a tough situation and handled it extremely well. At this point in the season, we don't have the luxury of letting players play through things. We have to win a hockey game. That's how we look at it."
The following were the Penguins' combinations at the skate:
Conor Sheary-Sidney Crosby-Patric Hornqvist
Chris Kunitz-Evgeni Malkin-Bryan Rust
Carl Hagelin-Nick Bonino-Phil Kessel
Tom Kuhnhackl-Matt Cullen-Eric Fehr
Brian Dumoulin-Kris Letang
Olli Maatta-Ben Lovejoy
Ian Cole-Justin Schultz
Sullivan didn't formally state that Sheary would return after being scratched in favor of Beau Bennett for Game 5, but he strongly suggested as much by openly discussing his value to the top line.
“Conor brings a lot of energy, his quickness, his relentless pursuit on the puck, a good stick, playmaking ability," Sullivan said. "That’s when he’s at his best. That’s our expectation. He’s brought that all season long."
“Ideally, we wouldn’t be in this situation," Cole said. "But this isn’t a hopeless situation. We have to win two hockey games. That’s the way we look at it. How many times have we done that this year? We did it in this series already. This isn’t some daunting thing. This is a determined hockey team.”
Sullivan apparently has zero issue with the confidence.
“It’s a great opportunity for a team," he said of the Penguins facing elimination. "That’s what I told them yesterday, that’s what I told them today, and that’s what I’ll continue to tell them. I know we’ve got a determined group. We’ve always responded to adversity. I know we’ll do that tonight.”