Fleury Should have started game 2

[hf101]

I didn't have time to start this topic earlier, but I felt going into this game that Blysma should start Fleury. You can only ride a hot hand for so long. Vokoun has done a great job, but after the loss after game 1 it was time to make a change.

Who starts game 3?

[mojo1917]

I think it's a controversy going forward. I think you go back to Fluery, I think he's not in a good head space though, if Coach doesn't figure out what buttons to push soon, the Pens season will be viewed as an under achievement.

Edited June 4, 2013 by mojo1917

[Polaris922]

Fleury will start three... But honestly game one had nothing to do with Vokoun. He didn't mishandle anything. No soft goals. Just no defense in front of him. Letang & Niskanen in particular forgot they started this series Saturday night.

In addition... Vokoun starting this series was a no brainer. Not a single valid reason to start Fleury over him.

Edited June 4, 2013 by Polaris922

[canoli]

Agreed Pol, with almost everything. But I don't know if going with Fleury is such a bright idea. Goaltending just has not been the problem, it's been your stars, it's been just disorganized, too much individual effort, then not enough...i don't know, you guys are really not playing like the Pens we know.

Still I can't write them off just yet. It's 2-0 and you dropped both at home but so what? You've got way too much talent to forget how to play for 3 games straight. I get this feeling the Pens will school the Bruins in G3...I could see a 5-0 shellacking coming up. But if that has any prayer of happening you better get back to basics, cut the stupid behind-the-back passing and individual heroics and just play hockey.

[edit: wow, that was the first 2 consecutive home losses since the opening 2 home games this year]

Edited June 4, 2013 by canoli

[flyercanuck]

I honestly think if Fleury starts game three the Bruins are certified cupbound. He is terrible. Score one goal on him and he's rattled...heck, he's rattled right now thinking about starting. Vokoun has not been the reason Pittsurgh has ONE goal in 2 games.

[B21]

Definitely think starting Vokoun was the right move. You ride the hot hand until it is not hot. I don't think you 'guess' and replace Vokoun with Fleury because 'maybe' this is the game Vokoun finally stumbles. @Polaris922 is right...Vokoun isn't the reason they lost last night. Not even close. And @flyercanuck is right, too. Fleury is a mental midget right now. You have to stick w/ Vokoun.

(I don't fault Bylsma for making the change last night. Nothing to lose at that point.)

[B21]

Agreed Pol, with almost everything. But I don't know if going with Fleury is such a bright idea. Goaltending just has not been the problem, it's been your stars, it's been just disorganized, too much individual effort, then not enough...i don't know, you guys are really not playing like the Pens we know.

Still I can't write them off just yet. It's 2-0 and you dropped both at home but so what? You've got way too much talent to forget how to play for 3 games straight. I get this feeling the Pens will school the Bruins in G3...I could see a 5-0 shellacking coming up. But if that has any prayer of happening you better get back to basics, cut the stupid behind-the-back passing and individual heroics and just play hockey.

[edit: wow, that was the first 2 consecutive home losses since the opening 2 home games this year]

Man, I love the optimism. But it's over....and I think it will cost Bylsma his job. Frankly, it should. I could live with an ECF loss. But not a sweep (or 4-1) in which none of the games were close. I put a lot of that on the Captain. A little less on veterans who 'should' be leading (Orpik, Iginla, Morrow) but most of it on the coach.

[hf101]

Fleury is a mental midget right now. You have to stick w/ Vokoun.

Now Blysma has to start Vokoun. My reasoning for starting Fleury was to say that the coach and team had confidence in him and that Vokoun needed a breather. So instead of being prepared to start he was thrown into the lions den, and now the goalie situation is far worse.

[B21]

Now Blysma has to start Vokoun. My reasoning for starting Fleury was to say that the coach and team had confidence in him and that Vokoun needed a breather. So instead of being prepared to start he was thrown into the lions den, and now the goalie situation is far worse.

Not sure I'd call it worse. None of the goals Vokoun gave up were his 'fault'. I sitll think these lose if he is not pulled. I don't think it is 6-1. I do agree to expect Fleury to come in and be lights out was a bit much to ask for a guy used to starting...but if he wants his job back, he has to prove he's back in form and he didn't.

[DaGreatGazoo]

Agree with @B21; I think you go with Vokoun. Fleury's goals were weak.

What the heck..does Pitt think it's Philly by trying to weasel in on the goalie controversy market?

[B21]

Agree with @B21; I think you go with Vokoun. Fleury's goals were weak.

What the heck..does Pitt think it's Philly by trying to weasel in on the goalie controversy market?

Not that bad yet. They do have a capabale back up and some talent in the pipeline. Plus, Fleury's current contract does end soon. Pope Ilya's seems to almost be 'lifetime'.

[DaGreatGazoo]

. Pope Ilya's seems to almost be 'lifetime'.

I'm pretty sure it's the rest of my life, at a minimum.

[canoli]

haha Pope Illya! LOL....thank you for that!

But look I wouldn't cash in my hopes just yet if I were you. It''s true your leaders haven't led - or they've led in the wrong direction (sid and malkin first and foremost) - and Blysma dressing Engelland and Vitale made no sense to me. But I still can't quite believe a team with that much firepower will go scoreless for very long. Eventually - though it better be in G3! - your offense will take off.

It's been 2 games now, a shutout and a near-shutout. I think the Rask run, the Bruin shutdown, whatever - it ends tomorrow night.

Edited June 4, 2013 by canoli

[radoran]

Man, I love the optimism. But it's over....and I think it will cost Bylsma his job. Frankly, it should. I could live with an ECF loss. But not a sweep (or 4-1) in which none of the games were close. I put a lot of that on the Captain. A little less on veterans who 'should' be leading (Orpik, Iginla, Morrow) but most of it on the coach.

You should go read my threads about last season's Flyers/Pens series

[pilldoc]

Pope Ilya's seems to almost be 'lifetime'.

LOL...Pop Ilya...LOL...that made my day! (and I'm not even Catholic) Yeah I'm sure some of us dire fans are throwing a few Hail MArys's that he is gone next year....(of course Bryz is probably throwing a few himself and praying that a puck comes nowhere near him!)

[canoli]

Here's a bit of good news for Pens' fans: you take nothing good away from that game last night except this: Your best players made all the mistakes. You didn't get beat so much as you beat yourselves with turnovers, missed shots, too-fancy passing, lazy back-checking (or non-existent) etc. So the good news is all that stuff is correctable. The goaltending (Vokoun) is fine. The offensive talent is still there you just have to get back to basics.

This series is far from over.

[B21]

Here's a bit of good news for Pens' fans: you take nothing good away from that game last night except this: Your best players made all the mistakes. You didn't get beat so much as you beat yourselves with turnovers, missed shots, too-fancy passing, lazy back-checking (or non-existent) etc. So the good news is all that stuff is correctable. The goaltending (Vokoun) is fine. The offensive talent is still there you just have to get back to basics.

This series is far from over.

I hope.

[canoli]

Yeah...hmmm....well I guess I blew that call - about as bad as you can blow it. I guess I forgot to factor in The Rask who is playing out of his mind. Vokoun played great too last night, obviously could've gone either way.

I think Milbury and Jones were right when they said Pittsburgh basically threw away both games at home. They just didn't skate like the Pens know how to skate, didn't attack in force, didn't defend worth sh--...weird. The Pens from the regular season finally showed up about halfway through the game last night. Unfortunately for you guys the Bs got better too as the game went on. And Rask is just a vacuum; god only knows how you get anything past him tomorrow night.

[B21]

Yeah...hmmm....well I guess I blew that call - about as bad as you can blow it. I guess I forgot to factor in The Rask who is playing out of his mind. Vokoun played great too last night, obviously could've gone either way.

I think Milbury and Jones were right when they said Pittsburgh basically threw away both games at home. They just didn't skate like the Pens know how to skate, didn't attack in force, didn't defend worth sh--...weird. The Pens from the regular season finally showed up about halfway through the game last night. Unfortunately for you guys the Bs got better too as the game went on. And Rask is just a vacuum; god only knows how you get anything past him tomorrow night.

Yup. This may be stating the obvious but the Game 3 loss was only a bad loss because it put them down 3-0. If that loss made it 2-1 Broons, you tip your cap and move on.

[nossagog]

Yeah...hmmm....well I guess I blew that call - about as bad as you can blow it. I guess I forgot to factor in The Rask who is playing out of his mind. Vokoun played great too last night, obviously could've gone either way.

I think Milbury and Jones were right when they said Pittsburgh basically threw away both games at home. They just didn't skate like the Pens know how to skate, didn't attack in force, didn't defend worth sh--...weird. The Pens from the regular season finally showed up about halfway through the game last night. Unfortunately for you guys the Bs got better too as the game went on. And Rask is just a vacuum; god only knows how you get anything past him tomorrow night.

But this is the bane of the Penguins, they play this grinding game of chipping, chasing and cycling. Then the bury their chances. They aren't doing it, with a big 0 for whatever on the power play. The Bruins came in with a game plan specifically for the Pens style of play, and its working. Coach Dan cannot make in game changes of strategies, only line changes, so you keep "playing Penguins hockey" with the same failures. The biggest thing is he's not making between game changes either. The B's are all over the Pens perimeter power play, and are constantly ready for the cross ice passes for the one timers, something has to change.

But as for the topic, nah, ignore game 2, Vokoun is playing solid hockey and giving the Pens every chance to win games. It the offense that has to step up. If they had kept up their 4+ goals for average, they'd be up 2-1 now. All blame lies in the offensive zone.

[canoli]

well I'm not sure how much a HC can adjust between games, never mind during games. And of course this is a pretty typical complaint from fans of teams who are down in a series - "the damn coach won't make the adjustment(s)." But beyond mixing up the lines or dressing player X over player Y there isn't a whole lot a HC can do at this point. Is there?

Trying to enter the zone carrying the puck, splitting multiple defenders, that's not going to work against a good defensive team like the Bruins. Why it took the Pens 2+ games to figure that out I don't know, but I'm not sure you can blame Blysma when his players can't (or refuse to) execute the strategy that got them to the ECF.