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Pittsburgh Penguins: The Goaltending Situation is Not a Disadvantage

By Matthew Rodrigopulle

Jan 31, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne (35) makes a save against Pittsburgh Penguins center Jake Guentzel (59) during the second period at the PPG PAINTS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 31, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne (35) makes a save against Pittsburgh Penguins center Jake Guentzel (59) during the second period at the PPG PAINTS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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Heading into the Stanley Cup Finals against the Nashville Predators, it seems as though the Pittsburgh Penguins biggest obstacle may be Nashville’s goaltender Pekka Rinne.

Pekka Rinne has been playing outstanding in these playoffs. He has been leading in most goaltender statistics in the entire league, including save percentage, goals against average, wins, and shutouts. His performance has also been putting him in the running for the Conn Smythe trophy for playoff MVP. The Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender situation on the other hand has been interesting.

Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins /

Pittsburgh Penguins

Two is Better than One?

The Predators may have the best goalie in the playoffs right now, but the Penguins have the next best. And it’s not just one of the next best that we have–we have BOTH.

Marc-Andre Fleury and Matt Murray have both been playing fantastic in these playoffs. They may not be leading the league in stats like Rinne has been, but they have been splitting games to get us what really matters–wins.

Why This is Useful

I feel as though the Penguins are at the real advantage here. Rinne is amazing right now, but we have two great goaltenders as well. This can come very handy during a long seven game series.

Having two strong goaltenders to use can help aid fatigue and injury if it comes to this. We can be very confident with who we place in net no matter what. However, if an injury occurs to Rinne, the Nashville Predators will be in a very difficult position in the Stanley Cup Finals.

To all the people who thought we should have traded Fleury before the deadline, just look at how clutch he came. Matt Murray got injured right before the playoffs started and Fleury had to take over. He played excellently and boosted us to this position. Although Murray is now back, you can see exactly how easy it is to suffer from an injury out of nowhere. This is why having a solid duo is better than having one stud.

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