How Should Penguins Handle Goaltending Situation In Final Four Regular Season Games?

The Pittsburgh Penguins, at this point, are pretty much on their way to a Stanley Cup Playoff berth for the first time in four years. They are getting contributions from up and down their lineup, and guys like Erik Karlsson, Egor Chinakhov, and Rickard Rakell - who was named the NHL's First Star of the Week (ending Apr. 5) - have stepped up in a big way to help them win hockey games. 

Their defensive pairings are looking better, too, as Karlsson and Parker Wotherspoon and Ryan Shea and Connor Clifton have continued to build on their good play all season long, while Sam Girard and Kris Letang are finally starting to gel as a pairing. 

However, there is still a bit of a question mark between the pipes for them.

After an upper-body injury sustained by goaltender Stuart Skinner, the Penguins were forced to ice Arturs Silovs in back-to-back games against the Florida Panthers on Saturday and Sunday - both of which he won, even if the first one wasn't exactly in convincing fashion. They also needed to call on Wheeling Nailers (ECHL) netminder Taylor Gauthier to be the backup Sunday due to time constraints.

While it was a really cool story for Gauthier - who, undrafted, was at an Easter Sunday mass when he found out he was getting the call to Pittsburgh - the guy who they wanted to call on was in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS), but unfortunately, he would not have made it to Pittsburgh in time for puck drop. 

However, Sergei Murashov made his way to Pittsburgh, anyway, and he was officially recalled on Tuesday. Skinner practiced, as did the other two, so the Penguins - for now at least - appear to be carrying three goaltenders.

They do not play until Thursday, when they will travel to Newark to take on the New Jersey Devils, and they can clinch a berth in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a win. 

So, with all of that on the line - and four games total remaining - how should they handle the goaltending situation ahead of what is a likely playoff berth?

Even if the Penguins finished the month of March six points clear of a playoff spot and have begun April on a pretty high note, they can't exactly be entirely comfortable with where their goaltending is at. They are 19th in the league in goals-against average (3.08), 22nd in save percentage (.893), and 16th in save percentage above expected (0.13).

Among goaltenders with at least 10 games played, Skinner is 21st in the league in terms of goals saved above expected (7.9), while Silovs is 65th with minus-8.7.

Those numbers - especially, in Skinner's case - aren't terrible, but they're certainly not going to cut it if the Penguins expect to make any kind of noise in the playoffs. So, enter Murashov, right? Their best goaltending prospect has seen a brief five games at the NHL level this season, and although he has generally taken care of business at the AHL level, he hasn't yet shown a ton as far as capability as a starting goaltender at the highest level.

In those five games at the NHL level, Murashov has gone 1-1-2 with a 2.56 goals-against average and an .897 save percentage. Those are not quite his AHL numbers, which feature a 23-8-2 record along with a 2.13 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage. However, they are the best marks out of any of the three.

If Skinner isn't good to go, I think you start Murashov. And, if he is, maybe still start Murashov. If anything, the Penguins need to see how he performs in high-stakes situations - especially with his international track record and the fact that the Penguins could very well clinch Thursday.

And, if they do clinch, that's the perfect time to see what he's made of. It gives Skinner and Silovs some much-needed rest after a grueling post-Olympic schedule, and it gives the Penguins a glimpse into what Murashov is capable of as a rookie in an NHL playoff environment. 

Development aside, if the Penguins want to make noise in the playoffs this year, they have to put the guy between the pipes who gives them the best chance to win. There's no guarantee with any of these three right now, but Murashov deserves a look, especially if his team has already clinched at that point. 

And this might very well be the best scenario: If the Penguins can clinch, they can give Murashov some April playoff-like NHL experience while also managing the stakes and expectations. 

Besides, the Penguins will want to avoid another "spicy pork and broccoli" situation at all costs, and giving Murashov some much-needed playoff-like experience ahead of the actual thing should help that if he gets called on.

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