Red hot fleury? Really?

[InHexyWeTrust]

After the last game everyone (media) has been saying that Fleury is on a roll and the Flyers are in trouble and need to solve him to get past the Pens. Other than the obvious fact that yes, the Flyers need to get pucks past the net minder in order to score goals, has Fleury really been all that good?

If you go from allowing 7 goals a game to 2 and 3, I suppose that's progress, but I wouldn't call it a hot streak. He did allow those 5 goals in 1st periods of the last two games (and then shut us out for the rest), but except for that one power play last game, it really wasn't his play.

Game 4 was simply the Flyers not showing up. He looked terrible on that Talbot goal, but it wasn't so much that he regained his composure afterwards as the Flyers giving up at around 6-3.

Last game the Flyers played a 2nd period reminiscent of game 4, with all of 5 shots for the red-hot flaming flower power to turn away. 3rd period the Pens tightened their team-d, played a 1-4, and just dumped the puck out of their zone for the whole period.

So,

1) The media is so freaking boring and predictable. It's as if they have a script that they need to use whenever the opportunity presents itself. Flyers don't play defense, Bryz allows 5 goals? Guess it's time for the old goalie carousel in Philly! Wonderboy Fleury doesn't get pulled and the scoresheet finally doesn't resemble a football game? That clutch stanley cup performer has returned to form! It's just aggravating. And if the media's opinions actually have any effect on the players, why the hell are the local guys (Panaccio obviously) buying into this crap and making it seem like Lundqvist or Pekka Rinne is over there.

2) But more importantly, if we get our game together, remember how to play defense and get as physical before and after the whistle as we were in the first few games, I think we might find that Fleury's newly minted mythic status will receive a douse of reality's cold water.

[flyercanuck]

I thought Fleury played well last game, especially in the 3rd when game 1,2 &3 Fleury (or Bryz) would have let in 5 goals in that period alone. Bryz played like a "normal" goalie last game as well. The difference was Fleury helped his team win. Bryzgalov has yet to do that.

[canoli]

I'm not buying the "super-human" nonsense either (McGuire quote from the game) or that Fleury stoned us and handed us the loss in G5. Sure he was good, he made some good saves and even 1 or 2 really good saves late in the 3rd. But the biggest reason we didn't tie the game is because we waited until the 12:00 minute mark of the 3rd to start playing with desperation and shooting on Fleury.

But that desperation can work against you too, the way did against us. The clock was ticking down and we were gripping the sticks. Every chance that didn't go in made us play more on the edge, and in close, when a rebound pops out even a clutch PO guy like Briere or Hartnell will tend to rush the shot, whacking at the puck instead of shooting it.

[flyercanuck]

Well he was far from super human. We're just starting to see somewhat human goaltending in this series.

[thebirdman]

yeah basically if you go 2 periods without giving up a goal in this series you are red hot.

[canoli]

Yeah, I guess that's what it comes down to - the goaltending has been so awful in this series, going an entire period without giving one up is considered "red-hot" and the guy is "back to form."

we'll see.

[OzFlyer]

we'll see.

And we saw!

[Phillygrump]

Red hot Bryz gets it done

[radoran]

If you listened to NBC, Marc Andre Fleury had practically one of the greatest periods in all of the history of hockey in the third period of Game 5 and it was hard to imagine how the Flyers - who were winning the series and had taken a 3-0 lead from which only 3 of 170 others had come back - could ever hope to recover, especially since their own goalie had comparable if not better stats than Fleury.

But Fleury had put up two entire periods of hockey without allowing a goal, which hadn't been done since the game before that.

It was midway through the first period when the color guy pointed out that the Flyers hadn't scored a non power play goal since Game 3.

To his credit, the play by play guy took a beat and said "except for Giroux's to start the period".

[TedZep]

eah basically if you go 2 periods without giving up a goal in this series you are red hot.

Ain't that the truth. Going from giving up 2 or 3 goals a period to giving up 2 or 3 a game, why, that's got be at least three times as good.

[DaGreatGazoo]

It was midway through the first period when the color guy pointed out that the Flyers hadn't scored a non power play goal since Game 3.

To his credit, the play by play guy took a beat and said "except for Giroux's to start the period".

I heard that too..Engblom blew that one, didn't he??

[radoran]

I heard that too..Engblom blew that one, didn't he??

They clearly had their talking points and video packages ready to start the game. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but this was FAR BEYOND the typical "convince folks that the team that's losing actually has a chance so they won't go watch something else."

They actually did a whole package on Fleury being a "different goalie" AFTER he gave up the goal 30 seconds into the game. And followed that up with the note about the Flyers not having success off the power play.

And while Fleury was having a meltdown for the ages, the clever dude between periods kept up the whole "different goalie" idea and LOVED calling Bryz "Mr. Universe".

Well, the different goalie who changed the orbit of planets in a distant galaxy with his play in the third period of Game 5 is headed to the golf course and Mr. Universe is in the second round.

Not that they're listening to me. They're probably still discusing what the Pens need to do to win this series.

[terp]

@

I found this little gem on Puck Daddy:

In goal, Marc-Andre Fleury finishes with a 4.63 GAA and a .834 save percentage in six games, and was once again a liability in Game 6. He came into this series as a "Stanley Cup winner." By the third period Sunday, Bruce Arthur of the National Post called him "Dan Cloutier with a ring."

[terp]

If you listened to NBC, Marc Andre Fleury had practically one of the greatest periods in all of the history of hockey in the third period of Game 5 and it was hard to imagine how the Flyers - who were winning the series and had taken a 3-0 lead from which only 3 of 170 others had come back - could ever hope to recover, especially since their own goalie had comparable if not better stats than Fleury.

Rich Hofmann said the same thing. The Pens had it all sewed up.

[InHexyWeTrust]

"Dan Cloutier with a ring."

That's hilarious, though maybe a bit harsh. Fleury did have Cloutier-like numbers for the series though.

[DaGreatGazoo]

@radoran

Yeah,Rad..I agree..when it was 4-1 after the 2nd period, it was all..."if any team can come back, it's the Pens..blah blah blah"..I think we were talking about it in the chat..it was quite disgusting.