yave1964 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Last night the Penguins jumped up 3-0 early against the Bluejackets and then went into their shell, they seemed to lay back and let the Jackets carry the play from the second period on as the Penguins bled the lead away. In the third with less than a minute to go, while attempting to play the puck behind the net Fleury had it instead bounce over his stick and the next thing you knew Dubinsky had it in front and fired it in as Fleury attempted to get back in front of the net. Then in overtime Foligno carried the puck down the wing and fired it from just inside the blue line and it went through Fleury for the game winner. The Pens and Jackets are now in a 3 game series with 2 of them in Pittsburgh. So now the question, is it time for the Penguins to worry about the mental health of their netminder? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojo1917 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 I was thinking the same thing...do you give zatkoff a start?That was pretty bad.Time for some leadership from the c and a's . Have to pull together to get through this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nossagog Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Well I don't thing that their going to start Zatkoff in goal now. Looking at the games, he's actually played well except for the end of game 4. He has been horrendous playing the puck behind the net all his career. He should know better. Is it in his head now? Probably, Its easy to blame him for this one, but it was a team effort to lay back and allow the jackets to dictate the game as they did. This is classic DFB at its worst. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murraycraven Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 (edited) I think Fluery was "lightning in a bottle" on his run to the Cup frankly. He has the tools but is fragile as a "flower" when it comes to the mental part of the game. As long as Fluery is in net I truly dont think the Pens are viable contenders. Although, it was not only his fault they lost that game... Edited April 24, 2014 by murraycraven Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Let me put it this way....I wish we were shooting on Fleury. He hasn't been horrible or anything, but it doesn't take much to rattle him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B21 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Short answer? Not yet. The OT goal was bad but it should never have gotten to that point (through no fault of Fleury's). The game-tying goal was a fluke. Funny bounce right over his stick. I can't fault him for the 5-3 goal. He stopped something like 38 of 40 shots up until the GTG. I'm not panicking yet. Still headed back to Pittsburgh even with home ice in hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 @B21 Best of 3 now, with the ghosts of playoffs past dancing in his head. (Hey, we're down 2-1 so just trying to be a jerk) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B21 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 @B21 Best of 3 now, with the ghosts of playoffs past dancing in his head. (Hey, we're down 2-1 so just trying to be a jerk) You mean the two Finals appearances and the Cup? Hopefully his shrink helps him find his "happy place" in Game 5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 @B21 Somehow, I don't think those are what Fleury thinks of when he has a gaff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxpin Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Well I don't thing that their going to start Zatkoff in goal now. Looking at the games, he's actually played well except for the end of game 4. He has been horrendous playing the puck behind the net all his career. He should know better. Is it in his head now? Probably, Its easy to blame him for this one, but it was a team effort to lay back and allow the jackets to dictate the game as they did. This is classic DFB at its worst. I agree with all of this. Given his history, there may be cause for concern with Fleury over whether he just chalks it up as a bad moment and moves on or if he allows it to eat at him. But up until then, he's actually been pretty good in this series. We'll see what he does mentally with the bad ending to game 4, but I wouldn't pull him for Zatkoff. Not to start the game, anyway. I also think that once you pull him you pretty much have to commit to Zatkoff because there may be no going back. Plus, Fleury has played a few games against the Jackets now so he knows their tendencies and whatnot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojo1917 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 (edited) The Foligno goal reminded me of Claude Lemieux from Devils losses past except that wasn't a series loser. It was however a horrendous goal, on the game tying goal , bad bounce or no , he was pretty lackadaisical when he went back to play the puck, maybe he didn't see the forecheck ? I don't know; that was some pretty sloppy play and the body language of the Pens afterwards on the the way to the tunnel was not good. Like I said, now is the time for the leadership group to step up, or this could get ugly , lose this series and then what does the Pens off-season look like ? There's still some hockey to be played and a lot of talent on the Pgh team . Edited April 24, 2014 by mojo1917 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canoli Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 (edited) Short answer? Not yet. The OT goal was bad but it should never have gotten to that point (through no fault of Fleury's). The game-tying goal was a fluke. Funny bounce right over his stick. I can't fault him for the 5-3 goal. He stopped something like 38 of 40 shots up until the GTG. I'm not panicking yet. Still headed back to Pittsburgh even with home ice in hand. I would have this same attitude about the team too - no reason to panic at all, even at 2-2 it feels like you're still in control of the series. ...but you never really said if you have confidence in Fleury. Did I miss it? The OT goal last night was pretty brutal, Leighton-esque even. Honestly I don't know how any Pens' fan could say he's not worried about MAF. Edited April 24, 2014 by canoli Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B21 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 I would have this same attitude about the team too - no reason to panic at all, even at 2-2 it feels like you're still in control of the series. ...but you never really said if you have confidence in Fleury. Did I miss it? The OT goal last night was pretty brutal, Leighton-esque even. Honestly I don't know how any Pens' fan could say he's not worried about MAF. You mean more worried than we were when the playoffs started? Compared to last year his play this year has been Vezina-esque. That OT goal was bad but he's been solid otherwise which is all this team should need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanflyer Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 So now the question, is it time for the Penguins to worry about the mental health of their netminder? Isn't this an annual rite of spring for the Pens (at least the last few seasons)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanflyer Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 That OT goal was bad but he's been solid otherwise which is all this team should need. Really??? 3.08 gaa and .903 sv pctg is solid in your books?? Truthfully, if Bobs can get his act together, Pitts could be on the ropes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B21 Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Really??? 3.08 gaa and .903 sv pctg is solid in your books?? Truthfully, if Bobs can get his act together, Pitts could be on the ropes. Eye test. That OT goal was the first bad goal he's let in. He's made some big saves. The GTG was a bad play on his part but it wasn't a bad goal in the sense that he should have made a save and didn't. Solid to me is good enough to win. If Stempniak does't take a careless 4:00 high stick followed shortly thereafter by Sutter's bonehead puck over the glass, the Blue Jacket's don't get 2:00 minutes of 5-3 and that game likelt doesn't make it to 3-2 let alone 3-3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxpin Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Really??? 3.08 gaa and .903 sv pctg is solid in your books?? Truthfully, if Bobs can get his act together, Pitts could be on the ropes.Hey van. The numbers aren't terrific but I think they say more about the penguins style of play and general aversion to playing defense than they do fleury's play Up until the end of game four he really had been pretty good.The problem for Fleury is now we're using phrases like "up until." What's disturbing and where Fleury *could* prove dangerous for the pens is that the end of game four was exactly the situation where a successful playoff team has a goalie that can step up and close the door. In this case, Pittsburgh didn't even need him to be spectacular. They really only needed competent. On the tying and overtime goals he was almost comically not even that.Without the track record it's no big deal and just get back on the horse. With his Steve Sax/Rick Ankiel history...well, I'm holding my breath if I'm a Pittsburgh fan (largely because I'd be holding my nose ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B21 Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Put it this way, if Fleury pitches a shutout tomorrow I am still going to be....leery? skeptical?...of what's between his ears come playoff time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanflyer Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Hey van. The numbers aren't terrific but I think they say more about the penguins style of play and general aversion to playing defense than they do fleury's play Up until the end of game four he really had been pretty good. Yeah, perhaps a bit disingenuous of me to use purely numbers. I haven't watched the last two games, so really not fair for me to dis Fleury. But, as you say, a team that should be a front-runner playoff team, needs their goalie to make that OT goal save. The worse part of that is its an enormous back-breaker. But Pitts should not be looking to the net in disgust, they should look to the skaters who let off the gas thinking it was in the bag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canoli Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 a team that should be a front-runner playoff team, needs their goalie to make that OT goal save. not to mention - so I will - they never would've been in OT if he hadn't bungled the play just before reg ended - but he did, Jackets tie it up... the guys that weren't there for the Cup win must be thinking "Oh god it's true this guy freakin wilts in the POs. So that's why they call him Flower." just kidding - B21 is right he hasn't been bad at all - overall. But "overall" ignores a couple costly mistakes, like the two last night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris922 Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 not to mention - so I will - they never would've been in OT if he hadn't bungled the play just before reg ended - but he did, Jackets tie it up... the guys that weren't there for the Cup win must be thinking "Oh god it's true this guy freakin wilts in the POs. So that's why they call him Flower." just kidding - B21 is right he hasn't been bad at all - overall. But "overall" ignores a couple costly mistakes, like the two last night. Honestly, the play that led to the tying goal was a bad bounce. Nothing more, nothing less. He made the right play as the Jackets would have been first to the puck. Damn thing just took a Jackets bounce right past his stick. it's hockey and it happens. If he gets that puck he fires it up the boards and it's most likely out of the zone. The bounce changed that and it went right to the Jackets' winger who tapped it. That tap made it skitter (like how I used the Emerick thing there?) past Letang and Crosby and right to Dubinsky. I don't fault Fleury for the tying goal at all. Now the game winning goal... different story.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Put it this way, if Fleury pitches a shutout tomorrow I am still going to be....leery? skeptical?...of what's between his ears come playoff time. Fleury pitches a shutout??? Hahahahaha! Good one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nossagog Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 (edited) Fleury pitches a shutout??? Hahahahaha! Good one! B21 is really Doc Emrick in disguise. Next thing you'll be doing B, is talking about how the Pens new strategy is to bunt the puck deep into the endzone so the Pens fore check can blitz the Blue Jackets fullbacks. Start practicing the cross sports analogies. Edited April 25, 2014 by nossagog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxpin Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Start practicing the cross sports analogies. And don't forget the random kitchen utensils and gardening tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 And words he just makes up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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