A Fleury of Questions?

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Are Penguins fans concerned about their goaltending situation? Coming into the season, many questions surrounded the solidity of Marc-Andre Fleury. It feels like ages ago that Fleury secured the 2009 Stanley Cup for the Penguins by denying Nicklas Lindstrom in the final moments of Game 7 versus the Red Wings. In the lockout shortened season of 2012-2013, the decade-old Penguin finished with a 23-8 record, leading the Penguins to the top seed in the Eastern Conference. But regular season success has seldom eluded Fleury.  Much like the three previous seasons, the Penguins underachieved in the postseason, falling hard in four straight games to Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Finals. As if that wasn't tough enough, Fleury was pulled in the first round of the playoffs last season against the Islanders, giving way to Tomas Vokoun. Vokoun impressed, allowing just 2.01 goals per game with a .933 save percentage.
 
With two years left on his 7 year, $35 million dollar contract, and seven playoff wins in the last three seasons, fans have wondered aloud whether Fleury's best days are behind him. Compounding the Penguins perceived goaltending issues is the fact that Tomas Vokoun is sidelined for 3-6 months with a blood clot in his thigh. And if anyone saw Jeff Zatkoff, the 26 year old rookie who started in goal for the first time last night against the Florida Panthers, there remains some reasons for concern. Does Zatkoff deserve all the blame for last nights defeat?  Absolutely not. Yet with at least a quarter of starts for the next 3-6 months, I would say an improvement in play is something all Pens fans are hoping for. 

Still, with these "perceived" issues, the Penguins have gotten off to a strong start. Through 4 games (3 starts), Fleury has looked like his regular season self, allowing only 3 goals on 82 shots. Most importantly, he has three wins.  Don't get me wrong, the Penguins should finish on or near the top of the new Metropolitan division. They are the preseason favorites in the regular season for a reason.  Yet, with no Vokoun, there may be some slight reason to worry...just slight.  And then once April comes along, its back to the same questions of the past three years.

(photo above):"29-Marc-Andre Fleury-1," © 2010 Dan4th Nicholas, used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license