Murray's calm demeanor key to Penguins playoff push

WASHINGTON -- Matt Murray knows how to move on quickly.
When the Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender allowed a goal by Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin on a 2-on-1 that gave the Capitals a 2-0 lead 28 seconds in the third period of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Second Round on Thursday, Murray wasn't fazed.

"You've just got to worry about stopping the next one," he said. "It doesn't matter when a goal goes in. You can't take it back. Just worry about the next one."
RELATED: [Complete Capitals vs. Penguins series coverage]
It's a goaltender's job to have a short memory, to not let past goals affect present and future performance. Murray, 23, has done that well during his three NHL seasons, and did it again when he made 32 saves in the Penguins' 3-2 comeback win against the Capitals that gave Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead in the best-of-7 series.
Game 2 is at Capital One Arena on Sunday (3 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVAS).
Murray has saved his best performances for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He is 5-2 with a 2.17 goals-against average and .917 save percentage in seven games, and 27-11 with a 1.99 GAA and .926 save percentage in 39 career postseason games. He's been the starting goaltender when the Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017.
Mike Sullivan, who has coached Murray with the Penguins and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, said Murray always has shown that calm.

"I just think that's part of Matt's DNA," Sullivan said. "He's displayed that ability to bounce back when a team scores an early goal or any of the challenges that respective game presents. What we've grown to respect is his compete level and ability to put things behind him and focus on the next save. He personifies the mental toughness it takes to win and he's displayed it since Day 1. It's how he's wired. It's what makes him the goaltender he is."
When the Penguins took the lead after third-period goals by forwards Patric Hornqvist, Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel, Murray shut down the Capitals with saves on all 13 shots they took after Guentzel's go-ahead goal. His biggest sequence may have been with 2:30 remaining in the third, when he fought off defenseman Matt Niskanen's slap shot, then slid over and deflected forward Brett Connolly's wrist shot off the inside of his blocker.
"Those are tough," Murray said. "They're through traffic, so it's hard to keep that rebound where you want it to go. I just tried to battle and try to get something on it."

Said Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, "He played tremendous for us. Some screens, some puck tips at the end. He made great saves and kept us in the game the whole night."
The Penguins showed calm when they were losing 2-0 against the Capitals, and so did Murray.
"What I see is a guy who has embraced the opportunity to be the No. 1," Sullivan said. "Matt has a maturity beyond his years. We forget how young he is. He's an accomplished goalie, but that's a testament to his character and talent level. He embraced the opportunity to be a No. 1 and always plays his best when the pressure is on and the stakes are high. I can't say enough about his mental toughness."