The Penguins weren’t necessarily expecting Murashov to come over when he did, as he was in a good situation at home in Russia. But Evgenii Peretrukhin, a close family friend who has helped the goaltender with his career in Russia, advised him to go to North America.
It worked out well, as Murashov has thrived with the Penguins organization. He posted a 12-3 record with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, which included a 10-game win streak that set a team rookie record, and a 17-7-1 record with Wheeling of the ECHL.
This season, Murashov ranks fourth in wins (5), third in goals-against average (1.73) and fifth in save percentage (.931) in the AHL this season.
Murashov earned AHL Goaltender of the Month honors in October just prior to his first NHL recall.
“It was his dream, he always wanted to play in the NHL. He was very happy when he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins,” said Peretrukhin, who made the trip to see Murashov play.
“I was in Saint Petersburg in Russia. It was 10 p.m. and I was going to go to bed. Sergei called me and said, ‘I want to see you here.’ So, I got out of bed, and went to the airport,” Peretrukhin said.
He had trouble flying out of Newark to Pittsburgh, as all flights were cancelled largely due to the government shutdown. So, Peretrukhin ended up getting a car service, driving six hours to be here for Murashov.
“I slept today about two or three hours because I was nervous. He was not. I saw him this morning, and he wasn’t nervous at all. He was smiling. He was happy,” Peretrukhin said. “And I said, ‘Do you remember, Sergei, when you left Russia? One day your dream will come true, and today is that day.’”
Murashov said the only time he really felt any nerves was figuring out what to do for his rookie lap.
“The first couple minutes, I was kind of getting used to the speed,” Murashov said. “But after, I felt I was just doing my thing. Try to stop the puck, and don’t think about anything. Doing my job, you know?
“It’s all about preparation for the game. You are building it through practice, throughout the summer, going into camp, preparing for this, going to NHL games… now I’m here, and definitely it’s not about performance today, but all the work I did before.”
Before the game, Penguins Head Coach Dan Muse talked about how Murashov is extremely driven and diligent in terms of that preparation, particularly off the ice. On the ice, “he’s extremely competitive, athletic, just always in battle with loose pucks, scrums, and everything else,” Muse said.
Murashov made a number of saves that showcased those qualities, his best one coming in the second period, a diving glove save on Quinton Byfield. He had to come up big on the penalty kill in that period as well. Unfortunately, the Kings battled back in the third to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead, which stood as the final score.