“It’s not about what you are doing, it’s about who you are becoming in this league,” Sergei Murashov
A one-goal 37-save performance for a goaltender seems special, otherworldly, a dominant performance to lead a team to a victory. Yet, that’s not what it sounded like after the 4-1 victory for the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, where Sergei Murashov led the team to a victory. He treated it like it was just another game.
He’s been the Penguins' best player all season, and the team goes as he does. “You need your goalie to be your best player,” head coach Kirk MacDonald mentioned after the Game Four win, and Murashov was the best player in the Calder Cup series against the Hershey Bears, allowing only eight goals in four starts. Yet, it was just another set of games for the Pegnuins top prospect. His goaltending coach, Kain Tisi, felt the same way. He didn’t think Murashov played at another gear or did anything special. He just played his game, the dominant version that stood out all season.
It speaks to his ability to play under pressure. The playoffs are a different beast with tighter, more intense games. Yet, Murashov treats every game the same and doesn’t play at another gear because it’s the big stage. It’s that mindset that makes him a great goaltender, not just for the Calder Cup Playoffs but for years to come, a goaltender the Pittsburgh Penguins hope they can build their future around.
Murashov Stays Even-Keel
Murashov doesn’t think about the opponent. Sure, he gets the scouting report and studies the other team’s tendencies but he isn’t focused on the team in front of him. The Bears have a lot of skill in their forward unit, notably a top six with NHL-caliber prospects. They didn’t change the way Murashov played, or as he puts it, “it’s not about who is in front of you, it’s about who is with you.”
Usually, the playoffs are when players flip a switch, and for goaltenders, they play at another level to take over a series. It’s how Clay Stevenson played on the other end, taking things up a notch to make every game close. Murashov processes the playoff games the same way he handled regular-season games.
Murashov’s ability to remain calm under pressure also shows how, despite being a 22-year-old prospect, he’s ahead of schedule. “He’s very mature the way he approaches the game,” MacDonald added after Game Four. For goaltenders, it’s about maturing into someone who can handle every situation, handling what is thrown at them, and making the most of what’s out of their control. Murashov has a mindset to make the next step to the NHL and play at a high level in the playoffs.
On top of that, it’s all about finding ways to improve. Murashov entered the season hoping to become a complete goaltender. “He’s always eager to learn more, to learn about himself, about hockey, it’s not specific to hockey all the time. How he processes it all is a strength to him; he’s quick to process things,” Tisi noted in a conversation with The Hockey News in March. Fast forward to a series victory, and Murashov is echoing that sentiment. “It’s not about what you are doing, it’s about who you are becoming in this league,” he mentioned after the series-clinching win.
What Makes Him Great
With Murashov, or any goaltender for that matter, there’s the mental game and the physical one. Murashov is an athletic goaltender, someone who can make the big save or the athletic one to frustrate offenses. Then, there’s the mental part of the game, which puts him in positions to succeed.
While he’s an athletic goaltender, he rarely makes a highlight save because he’s usually in the right position. He saves the initial shot by being positionally sound, relieving both him and the team of plenty of headaches.
Murashov can also adapt to the situation and mentally prepare for a big game. “The perspective he has, how mindful he is, how kind, his sense of humor but also how he can turn a switch from the nice, kind, thoughtful person to the dog on the ice, the killer. He can turn that switch on,” Tisi noted earlier in the season. He can flip that switch and become that elite goaltender. He can be the killer, and this season, that killer made him a goaltender who could handle the AHL's toughness. The Bears tried to get to his crease and win physical puck battles. He stood his ground and still controlled the series.
It’s this set of skills that makes it hard to compare him to any type of goaltender in the NHL. The goaltender who comes to mind is Jeremy Swayman; it’s the name one scout thought of when watching him play, and his overall demeanor. But, Murashov has stretches of great goaltending around the league. “The hockey IQ of a Bobrovsky. The intensity and the confidence of a Vasilevskiy,” Tisi stated when asked which goaltenders come to mind, two Russians with plenty of success in the playoffs. They had the IQ and preparation to win on the big stage, and Murashov already has it at a young age.
Murashov is Playing Well & So is the Team in Front Of Him
Murashov was the star of the series. However, the matchup against the Bears highlighted the entire Wilkes-Barre Scranton group. They don’t have the star power at the top that the Bears have. Instead, they have the depth and put it on display from all four forward lines scoring to every defense pair stepping up.
“The players go out and execute on a daily basis, and it starts with our leadership group that’s been outstanding all year,” MacDonald added after the latest game. That leadership group includes veterans who have been around the AHL and the NHL, whom most teams give up on but the Penguins gave a shot.
Rafael Harvey-Pinard bounced around before signing with the Penguins ahead of the 2025-26 season. He became a top-line winger who mentored the younger players, allowing Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen to take a step forward. Tristan Broz is only in his second AHL season but at 23, he’s become a leader in the room and a driver of the offense. “Broz carried that puck and transferred it and moved his feet through the neutral zone, and that’s the skill that’s going to help him get to the next level,” MacDonald noted after the game on the center who had four assists in the series and set up the third goal of Game Four, a knockout punch to end the series.
This is a group that can go on a Calder Cup run and has a tight-knit group both on and off the ice. “They have a lot of fun! Maybe too much fun,” MacDonald mentioned about the Penguins earlier in the season. When Murashov was asked about the team, he couldn’t praise them enough. “If I would write a book at some point in my life this year, I would be writing it with a nice smile. It’s so fun coming to the rink. It’s great to overcome all the challenges together. We stick together and just keep going. I’m blessed to play with these guys," he stated to wrap up his postgame presser and cap off a good night for the Penguins AHL team.