Penguins Update: Fleury Revival

There’s a revival of sorts going on in the ‘Burgh these days. One involving a slender 32 year old from Sorel, Quebec with dark, flashing eyes and a shy, ready smile.

During his past four outings—all of them wins—Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury posted a microscopic 1.79 goals against average and equally gaudy .943 save percentage. A welcome turnaround from the string of troubling performances that plagued “Flower” during November and early December and cost him the starting job.

Flower by the Numbers
Month	GP	MINS	GA	GAA	SV%	W-L-T
October	9	525	27	3.09	.909	6-2-1
November	6	346	22	3.88	.889	0-3-2
December	9	417	18	2.59	.924	6-0-1
Total	24	1288	67	3.12	.909	12-5-1

The past nine months have been bittersweet for the soft-spoken goalie, to say the least. Struggling to shake the lingering effects of a concussion, he watched from the end of the bench as rookie phenom Matt Murray stepped into his customary spot between the pipes and helped pace the Pens to a Stanley Cup.

“I did my best to keep everyone upbeat and in a better mood around the team,” Fleury told Robert LaFlamme of LNH.com. “I wanted to play, but that was the situation. The team was winning. The most important thing for me was to be a good teammate.”

With trade speculation rampant, GM Jim Rutherford was quick to reassure Fleury of his value to the team. Granted a reprieve of sorts when Murray suffered a broken hand at the World Cup last fall, No. 29 reclaimed the starting job and backstopped the Pens to a respectable 6-2-1 start.

However, when Murray returned from the IR in November, Fleury’s play began to slip. Prone to maddening bouts of inconsistency throughout his 13-year career, his fundamentals deteriorated while old flaws resurfaced.

After several shaky starts, culminating in a dismal 6-2 loss to Minnesota on November 25, he appeared to lose the confidence of black-and-gold coach Mike Sullivan, who once more turned to Murray as his go-to guy.

Clearly pressing, Fleury’s game sank to new lows. Yielding four goals on 16 shots, he was yanked midway through a home game against Ottawa on December 5. Rallying around Murray, the Pens began an immediate turnaround, striking for three goals in six minutes to emerge victorious.

Over the next two weeks Flower faded from view while Murray started five straight games, winning four. A solid outing upon his return in an overtime loss to Toronto on December 17 did little to restore the luster to Fleury’s dimmed reputation—or elevate him to co-starter status.

Then came the debacle in Columbus. After falling behind early, the Blue Jackets strafed Murray for six goals in a span of 30 minutes. For the first time since his Steel City debut nearly a year ago to the day, the Thunder Bay native was visibly rattled. Leaving Sullivan little choice but to pull the kid goalie.

Perhaps it had something to do with his partner’s sudden vulnerability. While Murray lost his composure, Fleury appeared to regain his in one fell swoop.

Given a start in the Pens’ next game, Flower flashed his old form while limiting New Jersey to a single goal. Sullivan stuck with Fleury in a return engagement with the Devils. His faith was rewarded with another victory.

Following a sensational 19-save effort against Carolina—this time in relief of an injured Murray—Fleury stopped 37 shots with a vintage performance against Montreal on New Year’s Eve to earn the game’s No. 2 star.

A welcome turn of events for the Pens’ two-time MVP and all-time winningest goalie. Not to mention his adoring legion of followers, who delight in chanting his name.

Fleury’s teammates, too.

“He’s not only one of the best teammates that you can have, he’s a (heck) of a player,” said good friend Kris Letang.