The 2012 NHL season ended badly for the Pittsburgh Penguins. In just six games the Pens were out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They had embarrassed themselves with a bush league showing against in-state rival Philadelphia.

Lost in the antics and shenanigans was a Grade A meltdown from starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. The Penguins lost their composure against a less talented opponent, wasting the momentum that they had gained with the return of their injured captain Sidney Crosby.

The lockout that delayed this season helped many Pittsburgh fans forget the way the season ended. The antics and meltdown from 2012 were in the rearview mirror. The off-season signing of Tomas Vokoun was a simple footnote to the Penguin roster. An insurance policy for sure, but Fleury received an endorsement from coach Dan Bylsma that it was still his team.

The incredible play from Crosby to start the 2013 season was a welcome sight for Penguins’ fans. A solid regular season from their goaltender Fleury gave some hope that he had returned to the form of the Stanley Cup year in 2009. General Manager Ray Shero added some prize pieces to the Pittsburgh roster in April and the Pens went on an amazing winning streak even without their captain who took a stray puck to the melon.

Fleury took center stage in goal, boasting some impressive numbers as a result of the winning streak. The offense was the strength of Pittsburgh, but their defense and Fleury looked much improved. With a 23-8 record, a GAA of 2.38 and a save percentage of .916, Fleury’s stats were as good, if not slightly better than Vokoun’s sample size.

Pittsburgh rode their momentum into the playoffs with a first round match against a pesky New York Islanders team. With a shortened season, there were no inter-conference games, but plenty of divisional games. The Penguins won the series against the Islanders, but the playoffs would prove to be a different challenge.

In Game 1 Pittsburgh looked every bit the top-seeded Goliath to the David’s from Long Island. Fleury was rarely tested in a 5-0 shutout and all appeared to be well.  However, after four games, the series was tied at two games each. Fleury had been chased from the Penguins net, and ghosts of 2012 were creeping into the heads of the Pittsburgh faithful.

Coach Dan Bylsma let the Game 4 loss sink in for about 18 hours before announcing that Vokoun would start in goal for Game 5. The 36-year-old Czech veteran had a 3-8 career postseason record with his five previous teams. He had proven to be reliable during the regular season, but did not have any history of postseason success. His last playoff win came in 2007 with the Nashville Predators in a 4-1 series loss to the San Jose Sharks.
Vokoun played well in the Game 5 return to Pittsburgh, and was good enough as the Penguins held on for Game 6 overtime win.

The conference semifinals against Ottawa were much more about Pittsburgh overwhelming the Senators with offense than defense. Ottawa was outgunned with their two best players each returning (possibly prematurely) for the series. Pittsburgh made quick work of Ottawa to reach the Eastern Conference Finals. This time the Penguins will see if Vokoun is the real answer in goal, or if he is a convenient duct tape fix against lesser competition.

The Penguins match up against the Boston Bruins for the right to play for the Stanley Cup. Boston is in a different class than the Pens’ first two opponents. Only two years removed from their last Stanley Cup triumph, the Bruins roster is filled with players sporting the 2011 championship ring. They will test Pittsburgh on every square inch of the ice, particularly in goal.

Down the stretch in the regular season Boston struggled to score, costing them their division title and a number two seed. The Bruins seemed to find their scoring touch through the first two rounds of the playoffs, particularly against arguably the best goaltender in the world, Henrik Lundqvist.

The strategy for the Bruins will be simple: test Vokoun as often as possible, get under the skin of the Penguin stars (particularly Crosby and Evgeni Malkin), and be as physical as possible. We’ll know early if Vokoun is up for the challenge because you can be sure that Boston will come out flying.

The ink is still drying in the NHL record book for Tomas Vokoun as the oldest goaltender to win his first playoff series (36). Pittsburgh feels good about their situation in goal, especially with a Stanley Cup winning goalie on their bench. No one expects the Penguins to win the Stanley Cup because of Tomas Vokoun; they are counting on the Pens not to lose because of him.