Marc-Andre Fleury reasserts himself as top goalie in Penguins' season-opening win
PITTSBURGH — Veteran goalie Marc-Andre Fleury’s stellar performance Thursday in the Pittsburgh Penguins' opener is a reminder that Fleury is a No. 1 goalie regardless of where he ends up on this team’s depth chart.
Fleury made 39 saves and thwarted Alex Ovechkin on a shootout attempt to preserve a 3-2 win against the division-rival Washington Capitals.
"We are thrilled for Marc," said Penguins coach Mike Sullivan, "(because of) how hard he battled to come back last year. It was a difficult circumstance for him personally."
The Penguins raised their Stanley Cup championship banner in a pregame ceremony, and it was a championship won without Fleury in the net.
With Fleury sidelined by a concussion, rookie Matt Murray established himself as the starter in last season's playoffs. Murray went 15-6 in the playoffs, and it seemed as if Fleury’s days as Pittsburgh’s starter were over.
Murray is nine years younger than Fleury, and far less expensive. It doesn’t help Fleury’s case that there will be an expansion draft held this summer, and the Penguins can only protect one goalie.
But Fleury’s sterling effort, on such an important night, did seem to say that he doesn’t plan to give up his status without a fight.
"He has worked really hard to get to this point," Sullivan said. "I thought he made some real good saves for us, especially in overtime. He was solid."
At one point, Pittsburgh fans chanted his name, with the same enthusiasm they have for the 12 seasons he had been the team's No. 1 goalie.
"Fans have been amazing toward me through the years," Fleury said.
He stayed with Ovechkin on the final shootout attempt, and never gave him the opportunity to find a hole against him.
There was no competition to start the opening game because Murray has been finishing up a rehabilitation of a broken hand.
It’s unknown what exactly will happen when Murray is ready. Although logic says the Penguins would want to keep the younger goalie long-term, they could let the situation play out this season.
We could see a goalie rotation. It’s not as if there has been a large sample size of Murray performances that make it clear he's a star. He has only played 34 games in the NHL, and 21 of those came in the playoffs. He’s still technically a rookie. The Penguins believe he will be a star. But they don't know for sure. Fleury has a long history of getting the job done. He's also popular with teammates and fans.
Young goalies sometimes struggle in their second seasons. Given that the Penguins have a real shot to repeat, the Penguins may not be all that eager to trade one of their goalies. The best situation for the Penguins may be to keep both goalies this season and sort out their future right before the expansion draft.
Fleury showed again Thursday that he’s not going to make the goalie decision easy for general manager Jim Rutherford no matter when he makes the final decision.
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