Starting Matt Murray in Game 4 is a decision the Penguins must commit to

After a few days of speculation, the Pittsburgh Penguins made it clear on Friday afternoon that they’re changing direction in net.

And as long as they stay committed to that path, they should be fine.

Coach Mike Sullivan confirmed that Matt Murray will get the start in Ottawa for Game 4 on Friday night. Marc-Andre Fleury is relegated to the bench for the first time all postseason.

You’ll forgive Penguins fans for questioning their head coach here. You can’t blame them; with a boatload of injuries plaguing their team over the last three weeks, their nerves must be frayed. This Pittsburgh roster lacks consistency game-to-game even as it climbs deeper into the playoffs.

Besides, they have a case. Fleury had a miserable Game 3, giving up four goals on nine shots and generally looking lost for the first time all playoffs. But he still owns a superb .924 save percentage, pitched a shutout in Game 2 against the Senators and Game 7 of the Capitals series, and arguably carried his limping teammates to this point. Is denying him the starting job after one poor outing really fair?

A good question, but irrelevant now that Sullivan’s decision is made. Murray is the starter on Friday. The key now is for Sullivan to stick to this plan. We’ve seen how goalie carousels have ended poorly for playoff teams in the past. Just ask the Stars of last season. If a coach thinks his goalie has lost his edge and benches him, it’s best to keep him there if you have another quality option this late in the playoffs.

The Penguins are blessed with that choice. Murray is a Stanley Cup champion, as proven as Fleury already. Down 2-1 already in the Eastern Conference final, the Penguins didn’t have time to hope that (or bet on) Fleury’s Game 3 was a fluke.

Pittsburgh also doesn’t have time to swap goalies back and forth until one gets hot again. So in comes Murray. He’ll either rise to the occasion or be a reason the Penguins fold so close to the Stanley Cup. That’s not Fleury’s role to own anymore and probably shouldn’t be going forward.

Ah, the playoffs. Every single decision is one hell of a gamble. This late in the postseason, consider the Penguins chained to the dice they just rolled.