PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins are a very intriguing team for many reasons, one of them being how unconventional they are.
They don’t have a No. 1 goaltender. Sometimes they play defense, sometimes they don’t. Many of their most important players are pushing 40, while another key cog to their lineup is 18. They’re rebuilding … kind of. They were supposed to be a lottery team this season, and right about now, their fans feel like they’ve won the lottery. Kyle Dubas has revamped 70 percent of their roster in the past year, yet three of their players have been here for two decades.
Being so unconventional has served them very well this season. But make no mistake, teams don’t win the Stanley Cup if their goaltending is bad. They also don’t win the Stanley Cup if they don’t know who their goaltender is. (Sure, the Penguins switched goaltenders midway through the 2017 Stanley Cup run, but that was a Hall of Famer and a 23-year-old wunderkind. This season’s roster doesn’t come close.)
The Penguins’ goaltending situation isn’t necessarily a weakness or even a problem, but it’s far from simple. Let’s break it down.
Stuart Skinner
The good
• The man is only 27, but he’s already played in 50 Stanley Cup playoff games and he’s won 26 of them. Not bad. Sure, he had prime Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl playing for his team, but he also had the Edmonton Oilers playing defense in front of him. So, there is compelling evidence that he’s a good playoff performer. And I don’t think dealing with, say, the environment in Philadelphia will be a problem.
• He’s not the type of goalie who steals games or series, but he’s fairly solid and has been very good late in close games for the Penguins. Think of the road wins against the Utah Mammoth and Ottawa Senators, for instance.
The bad
• In his past 13 starts, he’s allowed four or more goals seven times. As great as he was in January, especially during the Penguins’ swing through western Canada, he hasn’t been able to recapture that form.
• The Penguins have been giving up a terrible amount of Grade-A looks in recent weeks, and moving side-to-side is his weakness. He’s not the ideal goalie to play when a team is performing poorly defensively. Athleticism isn’t his thing. He’s the shortstop who makes the routine plays but rarely the spectacular ones.
Arturs Silovs
The good
• He has playoff experience, and it was of the positive variety. With the Vancouver Canucks, Silovs defeated the Nashville Predators at age 23 in the 2024 postseason and took the Oilers to Game 7. He also possesses a considerable amount of international success in high-pressure situations.
• Make no mistake, he has talent. It’s been on display at various junctures this season. And by the way, the Penguins have won 11 of his past 15 starts. (The Penguins have scored an astonishing 64 goals in those 11 wins, which is 5.8 goals per game. But still.)
The bad
• Although he played well Sunday, his recent form has been very poor. His previous eight games before Sunday’s win saw Silovs produce an .842 save percentage. In particular, his inability to track shots from the point has been an enormous problem. So, too, has been his subsequent rebound control. He’s made a habit of allowing bad goals lately, the kind of goals that kill a team in the playoffs.
• While he does have a history of playing well in high-pressure environments, he hasn’t been particularly clutch this season. From the meltdown against the San Jose Sharks, to the Anaheim Ducks evening the score with 0.1 seconds left, to the Predators tying the game in the final seconds in Sweden, to all of those awful shootout losses, he’s not been great when games are on the line.
Arturs Silovs does have postseason and crunch time experience but not much at the NHL level compared to Skinner. (Stephen R. Sylvanie / Imagn Images)
Sergei Murashov
The good
• Every time I ask members of the Penguins about him, their eyes get big and they explain that his talent is special. From a physical talent standpoint, this is a particularly gifted goaltender, certainly the most talented on the Penguins roster. He’s the most likely to steal a series.
• Murashov does have a little bit of NHL experience, he’s enjoying yet another dominant season in the minor leagues, and though he just turned 22, this is a person who is mature beyond his years. He doesn’t strike me as someone who would be rattled by the big stage …
The bad
• … but he’s still 22 and he still has a total of four NHL starts to his credit. While he certainly appears to be the Penguins’ goalie of the future, the jump from the AHL to the NHL is significant, and it remains unknown how Murashov would handle it full time. I don’t think it would hinder his development in any way, and the talk of it being “unfair” to Murashov is silly. That said, we’re talking about winning in the playoffs and we haven’t a clue how he’d perform in the postseason.
• One may say this doesn’t matter, but I do wonder how the locker room would react. Oh, the players in that room like Murashov — trust me, it’s hard to dislike him — and know how talented he is. But it’s also an old-school bunch who might bristle at switching goaltenders when they’ve gotten this far with Skinner and Silovs.
So, you’re Dan Muse. It’s almost playoff time. What do you do?
I strongly believe Skinner is going to be the starter in Game 1. It’s the prudent decision, the safe decision. Silovs is an intriguing goaltender, but I feel like Skinner’s form is a little better.
The real question is this: What if the Penguins fall 2-1 in the first round against the Flyers? What if Philadelphia has scored 15 goals in the first three games of the series? What if the Penguins lose some faith in Skinner?
Do they turn to Silovs with the season on the line, or do they turn to Murashov?
There is no right or wrong answer here. It’s been a dream season for the Penguins, and seemingly every button Muse has pressed has been the correct one. But even though it’s felt like the Penguins have been playing with house money all season, they aren’t now. Not in the playoffs. Not against the Flyers, if that’s who they draw. Not in what could potentially be the final time we see Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang in a postseason together.
They won’t stick around long in the tournament, though, if their goaltending isn’t better than it has been. No, the defense isn’t great in front of them. (Skinner knows all about that, coming from Edmonton, which is another reason why I think he probably makes the most sense.) But this is serious now. Pressure is a privilege, and the Penguins’ season has allowed them the opportunity to play in the playoffs.
Before this season began, though, it was supposed to be about the future. The young players. Focusing on the process more than the results, because surely the Penguins weren’t going to make the postseason.
I’d be stunned if Skinner doesn’t get the call. But I can’t help but think that if the Penguins are to make an improbable playoff run to punctuate their outrageously improbable season, Murashov might have to play a role.
I mean this as no disrespect toward Skinner and Silovs, both of whom are perfectly solid NHL goaltenders. But the reality is that the Penguins have given up nearly 4.5 goals per game since the beginning of March. No, it’s hardly all been the fault of their goaltenders. But allowing so many goals won’t cut it in the playoffs. No way, no how.
A third option, the most talented of all, is available. It’s worth thinking about.