Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tomas Vokoun, left, could get the call for Game 5 over the struggling Marc-Andre Fleury, who's allowed 14 goals in the last three playoff games to the New York Islanders. (Associated Press)
Marc-Andre Fleury has won a Stanley Cup. He’s a proven commodity. But when was the last time he proved it?
The Penguins goaltender has simply got to do better. He’s allowed a fistful of bad goals in the ongoing series against the Islanders, including (another) one from behind the goal line last night. He’s been a victim of terrible turnovers by his teammates, who have been outplayed by a No. 8 seed for the best part of four games.
But Fleury is allowing too many goals. Fourteen goals in three games are just too many. They weren’t all bad bounces, defensive breakdowns or great plays by the Islanders.
What should be done?
If you start Tomas Vokoun in Game 5 tomorrow night, you put a huge jolt into the Penguins’ dressing room. Perhaps that’s exactly what’s needed.
Fleury fell apart in last year’s first-round loss to Philadelphia. The Penguins went out and signed Vokoun in case that
circumstance repeated.
It has. Not to the same degree. But this is another nightmare for Fleury. If coach Dan Bylsma doesn’t play Vokoun now, what was the point of getting him?
This series is reminiscent of last year’s Flyers debacle in many ways besides goaltending. The Penguins have again been lured into high-scoring shootouts and seem utterly powerless to dictate otherwise despite superior talent, far superior in the case of this series. Bad turnovers, ill-advised penalties and blown leads keep stacking up.
The Penguins are lucky the series is tied. They deserve worse, not better.
The Islanders’ sixth goal sealed it. That’s one shaky goal too many. Vokoun must play. It’s not unfair to think that Fleury has put his long-term Pittsburgh future in jeopardy.
This is like “The Hangover” trilogy. The same bad things keep happening. Only this isn’t funny. Neither was “The Hangover 2,” come to think of it.
GM Ray Shero must be boiling. He assembled a team that was thought to be foolproof, at least in the Eastern Conference half of the tournament. Shero did his part.
The series is hardly lost. But changes must be made:
-- Start Vokoun. No choice.
-- Bylsma must speak to Evgeni Malkin with brutal frankness. Malkin’s stupidity undid his brilliance last night. Malkin has to grow up. His petulance is agonizing.
-- Put Jarome Iginla and James Neal on right wing. Neither can play left wing. Iginla tried last night, but often drifted toward the right when the Penguins broke out or regrouped. Go with Sidney Crosby centering Iginla and Pascal Dupuis, Malkin between Neal and Chris Kunitz. That should have been the lineup long ago.
-- Trap. If Mario Lemieux’s Penguins did it to navigate their way through trouble in 1992, Crosby’s Penguins can do the same now. Slowing the Islanders down is paramount. The Penguins can score plenty off the counterattack.
Tough decisions must be made. Some members of the happy family might not be as happy.
But if those tough decisions don’t get made, they won’t be anything compared to the ones that come due after yet another first-round playoff exit.
Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9)
No comments:
Post a Comment