At the start of May, the Pittsburgh Penguins were in a first-round dogfight with the New York Islanders. Now, at the end of the month, the Penguins are four wins away from playing for the Stanley Cup.
The reason they are in this position is due to their decision to bench franchise goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury in favor of veteran Tomas Vokoun.
Fleury had a great regular season for the Penguins, compiling a 2.39 goals-against average and .916 save percentage. He started the playoffs hot by blanking the Islanders in Game 1.
Then the wheels came off. Fleury allowed 11 goals over the next three games. More alarming than this stat, however, was his demeanor in net. Fleury was allowing goals from behind the net and was constantly fighting the puck.
Things looked bad in Pittsburgh.
Insert a wily veteran of 14 years.
Vokoun came in for the Penguins in Game 5 and settled the team down. He guided them through the stormy waters, past the Islanders and into a second-round matchup against the Ottawa Senators.
Vokoun was dominant in the Ottawa series, leading the Penguins to a 4-1 serie ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Robby Baker
NHL Playoffs 2013: Is Tomas Vokoun Making Marc-Andre Fleury Expendable?
May 31st, 2013 by Robby Baker Leave a reply »
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