After sustaining his second concussion of the season March 31, Fleury missed nearly two months and didn't play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs until he replaced Murray at the start of the third period in Pittsburgh's 4-3 loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final. Fleury looked sharp, stopping each of the seven shots he faced, but showed rust by allowing four goals on 25 shots in his Game 5 start two days later.
Murray has since started the past two games and allowed three goals on 47 shots.
Those performances have solidified Murray as the Penguins' starting goalie entering the Final.
"I think I'm a little anxious to get started," Murray said. "This is the first time I've been to the finals at any level, so I'm excited and I'm looking forward to it … I'm definitely not oblivious to what's going on. I'm trying to stay in the moment … It's an intimidating thing sometimes, but overthinking it's not going to help."
Watching his young protégé take the reins hasn't been easy on Fleury, but he's taken it in stride.
Things have changed since Fleury last competed in the 2009 Stanley Cup Final. He's married with two daughters. His teammates routinely remark on his growth as a veteran leader on a team with several prominent young players.
Murray's maturity is equally impressive. For someone who celebrated his 22nd birthday less than a week ago, he possesses calmness not often seen in young players, especially goaltenders.
Success didn't come as quickly for Fleury. In his rookie season (2003-04), he won four of 21 games with a 3.64 goals-against average and .896 save percentage. He made his first playoff appearance in his third season, when he lost four of five starts against the Ottawa Senators in the first round.
"[Murray has] been great," Fleury said. "He's pretty confident and pretty calm. … I think, for me, it was a little different. You just go out and play and don't worry too much about anything else. Maybe mentally, it was a little different, but with time I was able to control the outside of the game a little better."