There is no goaltender in the NHL with more pressure on him this season than Marc-Andre Fleury of the Pittsburgh Penguins. With a top-loaded roster capable of winning every game they play, it has been Fleury as the wild card to the Pens success or spectacular failure.
By all reports Fleury should be, and has been better. You could even go as far as to say that the statistics over the long-term almost paint Fleury as an elite goaltender. In the regular season, at least.
In 447 career starts the embattled Penguin backstop has picked up 249 wins. That winning percentage of .557 puts Fleury ahead of perennial Vezina candidates Henrik Lundqvist (.546), Jonathan Quick (.532)and Pekka Rinne (.542). Of course those numbers are weighted by the team that Fleury plays behind, conversely, Fleury didn’t just become a terrible goaltender in the playoffs.
Fleury’s wins are a small part of the picture but are as much of a reflection of his ability to win games as anything else. Unfortunately people remember the goals he surrendered when the games mattered more. Fair or not, it is Fleury who will catch much of the heat for the postseason failures. Never mind the porous Penguin defense that left Fleury out to dry in the 2012 and 2013 playoffs, blame “the Flower”.
Since the playoffs seem to be the kryptonite for the statistically sturdy Fleury, why does the New York goalie called “King Henrik” get a pass with his .448 playoff winning percentage and zero Stanley Cups. The Cup is all that matters right? Fleury has already won a ring in two Final appearances against two very tough Detroit teams. Why he is regarded as a playoff flop has more to do with the players on his team rather than his ability to stop pucks. That perception needs to change, and it starts with his relationship with the coach.
Coach Dan Bylsma has already stated that the starting job is Fleury’s to lose headed into the 2013-14 season. I guess that is kind of/sort of a vote of confidence. Bylsma needs to get his goaltender on the right track, specifically because his job depends on it. With all of the money that Pittsburgh has thrown at their stars, and particularly to their next tier of players, a championship is the only goal. A Stanley Cup is the only thing that will save Bylsma’s job and Marc-Andre Fleury is a huge part of that.