Penguins Make Statement Behind Marc Andre Fleury

Marc Andre Fleury - A Huge Reason for the Pens' Hot Start

The Pittsburgh Penguins skated to a 4-1 lead, and the casual bystander just checking scores might say "Well, the Flyers suck and the Pens took care of business."  If you watched the game, you know that is hardly the case.  After a "no blood" 0-0 first period, the Penguins scored 2 in the second, but only to allow a Power Play goal with :17 seconds left in the 2nd to make the score 2-1.  The Flyers had tons of scoring chances early on in the 3rd period, but Marc Andre Fleury was able to hold down the fort until Sidney Crosby's goal made it 3-1, and Geno's icing on the cake empty netter made it 4-1.  This game was a hard fought game, but let me re-emphasize the importance of the sentence I listed above.  MARC ANDRE FLEURY was able to hold down the fort...yeah, I know...crazy.

Fleury has been nothing short of spectacular this season, and a large part of that is an improved defense in front of him.  Brooks Orpik and Rob Scuderi alone are doing a tremendous job, but the Penguins as a whole are blocking shots and doing whatever they can to keep pucks off #29.  Lets be honest, the less shots Fleury sees the better.  It was nice to see Fleury play in a hostile environment like Philly and be able to stand tall on more than one occasion.  Remember all of those "board passes" that would lead to Fleury flopping around like a fish out of the water?  Remember when Fleury would almost always give up that "soft" goal that would be a back breaker for team morale and momentum?  Remember when Fleury was so fragile mentally that a bad goal would be a crack in the dam, and the floods would come shortly after?  Yeah, its been nice to see Fleury post a 6-0 record to start this season, but more importantly, its been great seeing Fleury have that confidence that matches that stupid little smirk you see from inside the mask when he makes a huge save.  Just ask Wayne Simmonds of the Flyers what thats like...

Fleury is going to need to be stellar both in his physical game, as well as his mental game if the Penguins want to reach their ultimate goal of winning a Stanley Cup.  There are plenty of Fleury haters out there.  I can't say that I'm one of them, but going into this season I would have "the flower" on a very short leash after his past 2 postseason flops.  Fleury's stats back up his solid play.  Fleury's 6-0 record ties him for most wins in the NHL amongst goalies.  His 1.67 GAA is almost a goal better than his career mark of 2.64 and his save % is a sparkling .932.  Great numbers for a man who truly needs to resurrect his career, so the Penguins can resurrect another Stanley Cup Banner in the Consol Energy Center.