WASHINGTON — Rookie goalkeeper Matt Murray was the star as the Pittsburgh Penguins withstood a ferocious assault from the Washington Capitals to claim a 3-2 victory and take a 2-1 series lead Monday.
Murray made 47 saves to help Pittsburgh hold on for a crucial win after the Penguins scored two goals within the space of a minute in the first period to take an early lead.
Penguins star Sidney Crosby paid tribute to Murray’s heroics after the win.
“It’s about winning right now, and he is definitely playing well,” Crosby said of Murray.
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan also heaped praise on Pittsburgh’s last line of defense.
“He (Murray) was terrific. They had the puck all night — and we didn’t. They outplayed us in a lot of aspects of the game,” Sullivan said.
Patric Hornqvist and Tom Kuhnhackl had fired Pittsburgh into an early lead before Carl Hagelin added a third in the second to make it 3-0.
But the Capitals swept back with Alex Ovechkin scoring in the third period before Justin Williams scored in the final minute as the Capitals rallied.
Yet Murray, who at 21 is the youngest Pittsburgh goaltender to win in the postseason, held firm.
“That’s the way things are going to go sometimes,” Murray said. “We can’t worry about it. We’ve got to keep going forward and keep getting better as we go along.”
NHL’s top rookies
Edmonton forward Connor McDavid, Philadelphia defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and Chicago forward Artemi Panarin are the finalists for the Calder Trophy for the NHL’s top rookie.
The finalists based on balloting by the Professional Hockey Writers Association were announced Monday night. The award will be handed out on June 22 in Las Vegas.
The 19-year-old McDavid had 16 goals and 32 assists despite missing much of the season due to a broken collarbone, living up to his hype as the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft.
Gostisbehere led rookie defensemen with 17 goals and 29 assists in 64 games. The third-round pick from the 2012 draft scored four overtime goals, matching a single-season record for a defenseman.
Panarin, 24, led all rookies with 30 goals and 47 assists in 80 games.
