Murashov’s Moment Arrives

Sergei Murashov’s highly anticipated NHL debut came on Sunday, Nov. 9 against Los Angeles. There was quite a reception for the goaltender, the fifth-youngest player at his position to debut with the Penguins in the past 25 years at 21 years, 222 days.

Fans stood behind the glass with signs during warmups, and loudly cheered when Murashov’s name was announced in the starting lineup. They did so again after Murashov made his first stop, and continued that throughout the day, as he turned aside 24 of 27 shots faced in a 3-2 loss.

“Fans were really, really supportive for me. I felt it, and truly appreciate it, everyone who came to the building today instead of watching Steelers,” Murashov said with a smile. “I know it's a game today. Definitely, it's a great building, great city, great people here. So, I truly appreciate that.”

The Penguins weren’t necessarily expecting Murashov to come over when he did, as he was in a good situation at home in Russia. But Evgenii Peretrukhin, a close family friend who has helped the goaltender with his career in Russia, advised him to go to North America.

It worked out well, as Murashov has thrived with the Penguins organization. He posted a 12-3 record with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, which included a 10-game win streak that set a team rookie record, and a 17-7-1 record with Wheeling of the ECHL.

This season, Murashov ranks fourth in wins (5), third in goals-against average (1.73) and fifth in save percentage (.931) in the AHL this season.

Murashov earned AHL Goaltender of the Month honors in October just prior to his first NHL recall.

“It was his dream, he always wanted to play in the NHL. He was very happy when he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins,” said Peretrukhin, who made the trip to see Murashov play.

“I was in Saint Petersburg in Russia. It was 10 p.m. and I was going to go to bed. Sergei called me and said, ‘I want to see you here.’ So, I got out of bed, and went to the airport,” Peretrukhin said.

He had trouble flying out of Newark to Pittsburgh, as all flights were cancelled largely due to the government shutdown. So, Peretrukhin ended up getting a car service, driving six hours to be here for Murashov.

“I slept today about two or three hours because I was nervous. He was not. I saw him this morning, and he wasn’t nervous at all. He was smiling. He was happy,” Peretrukhin said. “And I said, ‘Do you remember, Sergei, when you left Russia? One day your dream will come true, and today is that day.’”

Murashov said the only time he really felt any nerves was figuring out what to do for his rookie lap.

“The first couple minutes, I was kind of getting used to the speed,” Murashov said. “But after, I felt I was just doing my thing. Try to stop the puck, and don’t think about anything. Doing my job, you know?

“It’s all about preparation for the game. You are building it through practice, throughout the summer, going into camp, preparing for this, going to NHL games... now I'm here, and definitely it's not about performance today, but all the work I did before.”

Before the game, Penguins Head Coach Dan Muse talked about how Murashov is extremely driven and diligent in terms of that preparation, particularly off the ice. On the ice, “he’s extremely competitive, athletic, just always in battle with loose pucks, scrums, and everything else,” Muse said.

Murashov made a number of saves that showcased those qualities, his best one coming in the second period, a diving glove save on Quinton Byfield. He had to come up big on the penalty kill in that period as well. Unfortunately, the Kings battled back in the third to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead, which stood as the final score.

“He’s obviously an unbelievable goalie,” Bryan Rust said. “You saw it tonight. He made some big saves for us. I think we would have liked to be a little bit better in front of him and not give them some of those Grade-As that we did.”

For his part, Murashov thanked his teammates for how they battled, especially with it being their third game in four days.

“Obviously, it's not the result I wanted, we wanted. Yes, it's a special night for me, but at the end of the day, all I'm wanting is just to get two points for the team,” Murashov said. “But it's a good lesson. We will learn from it and keep getting stronger, and me personally.”

He may have downplayed the magnitude of this moment, but Peretrukhin put it in perspective.

“You do not even imagine how much he did to become a Pittsburgh Penguin. I think very few people are ready to do this long and difficult path to play in the NHL. He really deserves it,” he said.

Murashov appreciated that Peretrukhin was here to support him, as his family couldn’t get here from Yaroslavl.

“But I know that I always feel the support from them. I hope he enjoyed the game. It's nice to see someone here across the ocean from home,” Murashov said. “There is a huge community behind the scenes who support me, and everyone who feels joy for me right now, I am truly grateful for these people.”