Fleury blooms when it counts

Now, it's on to Detroit, where Fleury and the Penguins must conquer their demons if they're going to win the Cup

Wednesday, June 10, 2009
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/

Like all NHL coaches, Detroit's Mike Babcock has the perfect understanding of the significance of the first goal in a big hockey game.

"It's important if we [get] it," Babcock said. "It's not important if we don't."
That's the man's story and he's sticking to it.

No matter what happened last night in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final.

PITTSBURGH - JUNE 09: Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury(notes) #29 of the Pittsburgh Penguins saves a shot by Henrik Zetterberg(notes) #40 of the Detroit Red Wings during Game Six of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals at the Mellon Arena on June 9, 2009 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jim McIsaac REMOTE/Getty Images)

The Penguins got the first goal -- by Jordan Staal in the first minute of the second period -- and it was huge in their 2-1 victory -- one that forces a Game 7 Friday night at Detroit's Joe Louis Arena.

Who would have guessed after the frightful 5-0 loss in Game 5 Saturday night that the Penguins would be playing a winner-takes-all game for the precious Cup?

Staal deserves his props, make no mistake about that. His big play started at the Detroit blue line when he chipped the puck past the Red Wings' Valtteri Filppula and cruised down the right wing, a 2-on-1 with teammate Matt Cooke quickly developing. Staal took the shot, but defenseman Jonathan Ericsson blocked it. The puck bounced right back to Staal and he buried the wrist shot past goaltender Chris Osgood.

Mellon Arena throbbed.

Staal exulted.

And at the other end of the ice, Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury had to be smiling that goofy smile of his under his helmet.

This first-goal business has another side to it. Not only does your team need to score it, you need to keep your opponent from getting it.
Take a bow, Monsieur Fleury.

Talk about a deserving choice as the game's No. 1 star.

Any questions about how Fleury would bounce back from that five-goal nightmare in Game 5 were answered quickly in this survival game. He had to face just three shots in the first period, but two -- by Detroit center extraordinaire Henrik Zetterberg -- were fabulous scoring chances after great passes from linemate Pavel Datsyuk.

Fleury said no when Zetterberg, who was alone in front, fired a wrister just 3:25 into the game. Fleury said no to Zetterberg again even more emphatically at 18:23 of the period after Datsyuk put the puck on Zetterberg's tape after a move by Datsyuk absolutely had undressed the Penguins' Sidney Crosby.

You don't think those saves were important?

The Red Wings are 10-1 in these playoffs when scoring first.

If either of those Zetterberg shots had gotten by Fleury, I'm thinking the Red Wings would have been celebrating with the Cup on Mellon Arena ice for the second consecutive spring.

As it was, the Cup stayed in its special box and will remain there until Friday night when the first goal figures to be huge again.

"I think in the regular season, if I'm not mistaken, the stats are like 80 percent the team that scores first [wins]," Babcock said. "So it's always important to get started on time.

"Catch-up hockey is losing hockey. You're in control of much more [when your team is ahead]."

It was especially important last night, not just because the Penguins' season was on the line, but because it was clear early that they weren't going to get much against Osgood. He stopped the 12 shots he faced in the first period, then made terrific saves to rob the Penguins' Max Talbot, Ruslan Fedotenko, Staal, Fedotenko again and Evgeni Malkin in the second period. Lucky for the home team that winger Tyler Kennedy was able to get the puck by Osgood for a 2-0 lead early in the third period.

That was enough for Fleury, who was brilliant in each of the Penguins' three wins at home. Sure, he was fortunate late in the second period when a Zetterberg shot clanged off the post and ended up underneath him. And yes, the Red Wings' Kris Draper was able to beat him off a rebound shot midway through the third. But Fleury was strong down the stretch, helping the Penguins to kill off penalties to Malkin and Bill Guerin. Fleury literally saved the game -- and the season -- when he stopped Detroit winger Dan Cleary on a breakaway with 1:41 left after another unbelievable pass from Datsyuk.

Now, it's on to Detroit, where Fleury and the Penguins must conquer their demons if they're going to win the Cup. He and they weren't good at all in their losses in Games 1, 2 and 5.

Game 7 is another opportunity, the final opportunity.

Staal went a long way to delivering it by getting that first goal.

Fleury did the rest.

Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com. More articles by this author
First published on June 10, 2009 at 12:00 am