Tristan Jarry/Matt Murray: Who Was The Better Penguins Goalie?
Through 200 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins, was Matt Murray or Tristan Jarry the better goaltender?
The future of the Pittsburgh Penguins goaltending position was once the most promising area of development, filled with a pipeline of future NHL goaltenders. Fresh off of two straight championships, the team had a young starting goaltender in Matt Murray and the likes of highly rated prospects Tristan Jarry and Filip Gustavsson in the system. Flash forward to 2023: Murray is a fringe NHL'er after bouncing around in Ottawa and Toronto, Gustavsson was traded to Ottawa and now is the presumptive starter in Minnesota, and the Penguins just committed five years to Tristan Jarry as their starter.
Gustavsson is just 66 games into his career and still establishing himself, but Jarry is at just about the same place in his career as Murray was when they traded him to Ottawa. Murray played 199 games with the Pens, and Jarry finished last season with 206 games. Both goalies have put up So, through 200-ish games, who was the better goalie for the Penguins?
The Case for Murray
Regular Season: 199 GP, 117-53-29
GAA: 2.67
Save %: .914
Post Season: 51 GP, 29-21
GAA: 2.18
Save %: .921
Two-time Stanley Cup Winner
Murray arrived red-hot during the 2015-16 season, and it took nearly four years for him to cool off. Winning nearly 60% of the games he started for the Penguins, Murray played huge in his crease and was difficult to shake. Between the regular and post seasons, he won 24 of his first 30 starts en route to becoming the first rookie goaltender in over a decade to win a Stanley Cup.
He followed that up with 32 wins in his first season as the 1A goaltending option alongside Marc-Andre Fleury and the tandem secured another championship together. As he established himself in the league, he did it by being positionally excellent and being a brick wall in the lower half of the net.
A look at his best saves from the 2018-19 season clearly shows the same thing.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdL7VwXuIZw[/embed]
Murray being nearly unbeatable below the hips, forcing shooters to go up high. With Murray's large frame and crease control, he absorbed pucks from even the best shooters.
What also stood out about Murray was his unshakeable demeanor. No matter the large circumstance or challenge, he was unflappable during his five season run in Pittsburgh. He never seemed down and out, and was seemingly unbeatable in the next game after a loss. He gave the Pens confidence, poise, and a brick wall when they needed it.
Injuries and inconsistency finally caught up to Murray and as 2020 rolled around, the certainty of him being the Penguins' starter going forward disappeared. His successor, Jarry, began to emerge as he faltered and lost his game. The results were Matt Murray and the Penguins parting ways in October of 2020, as the Pens traded him to Ottawa for a second round draft pick and prospect Jonathan Gruden. It was a disappointing end to one of the most impressive runs a young goaltender ever had in Pittsburgh and league history.
The Case for Jarry
Regular Season: 206 GP, 117-60-22
GAA: 2.65
Save %: .914
Post Season: 8 GP, 2-6
GAA: 3.00
Save %: .891
Similar to Murray, Jarry burst onto the NHL level at age 22, winning 14 of his first 23 starts during the 2017-18 season. He didn't see full time action with the Pens again until the 2019 season, where he earned an increase role with the team while Murray struggled.
In the time since, it's been Jarry's crease in Pittsburgh. When he's healthy and playing his best, he's one of the most athletic and fluid goaltenders in the league. He possesses an incredibly strong lower body. This allows him to utilize a super quick push-off that helps him move laterally and he combines it with a twitchy glove hand and cat-like reflexes.
While it may be tough to remember after this past season, we are just one season removed from Jarry's 34-win, all-star season. It was a year that put all of the best of Jarry on display, where he looked athletic, strong, confident, and agile. Given how tough the past season has been, it's important to remember how talented he is.
Take a look at a highlight reel of his top saves from the 2021-22 season.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PChNv8cf8M4[/embed]
The biggest issue with Jarry has been his health. He's struggled with injuries since his NHL promotion, and most recently was limited to 47 games this past season. The injuries to his hip and back severely hampered the best aspects of his game, reducing his effectiveness and durability. Going into the upcoming season, he reported feeling back to normal and ready to put the injury bug behind him. With how little experience he still has in the postseason, staying healthy is paramount for the Pens and Jarry to find more success in the coming years.
Verdict:
Despite the sour ending, the nod has to go to Murray and his two championships. While far from that clutch player currently, there's no denying that Murray's performance directly led to Stanley Cup victories.
Conversely, Jarry has yet to find his game in the playoffs due to inconsistency, injury, and poor team play. The regular season performances are a wash, with both sporting nearly identical records and numbers. They have also faced similar issues with injuries derailing success and affecting their abilities to reach their peak at the right times.
Unfortunately, the postseason makes all the difference, and Murray's playoff performance vastly overshadows Jarry's. While he surely will eclipse Murray in regular season statistics over the next five seasons, Jarry will need to discover postseason success to truly pass Murray as the better Penguins all-time goaltender. Through 200 games and five seasons, Murray was the better goaltender for the Penguins.
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