Flowers Bloom in the Spring

It seems like any talk of a goalie controversy in Pittsburgh was a long time ago, doesn't it?

Marc-Andre Fleury has played some spectacular goal for the Penguins of late. About 20 games ago when he returned after missing about 3 months from a high ankle sprain injury, I don't think anybody new what to expect. Ty Conklin, who one could argue saved the Penguins season after Fleury went down, was very impressive in his absence, running off a 10 or 11 game unbeaten run and skyrocketing to the top of the league's save percentage leaders.

Well, "the Flower" has let his play do the talking. Since returning, he's won just about every start and stopped about 95% of the pucks thrown his way in the process. He didn't show a single sign in the first round series against the Senators that his play might slip anytime soon. In fact, if he continues to play as he has, the Penguins have an excellent chance of playing 3 more rounds. Great goaltending is usually more important than any other element in the playoffs and the flightless birds are getting that from #29 right now.

So why the sudden metamorphisis?

One word: Experience

Like most of the rest of the team, maturity seems to have come quickly this season. Some have cited Conklin's strong play in Fleury's absence for that. In other words, they say that for the first time, Fleury realized he had legitimate pressure to play well to keep the starting job. I don't know if that's it as much as it is just a matter of him finally having enough experience to put everything in his game together.

Several weeks ago, I read an interesting piece on Fleury that hasn't gotten talked about much. For those interested, that piece can be found here:

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/archive/s_561374.html

In the article, there was a moment of notable and unusual candor from the Penguins netminder. After NJ Devils goalie Martin Brodeur -- someone who has been openly complimentary of Fleury in the past -- was quoted as saying (again) that Fleury had all the talent, but also saying (for the first time that I've heard) that Fleury needed to calm down and manage his game more, Fleury was asked about the reasons for his improved play.

He said that things have slowed down for him on the ice (always something you want to hear your goaltender say). He added that he's not challenging every shooter in every instance like he was before, but instead staying back in his net a bit. For a guy who has always been one of the quickest goalies in the NHL, that extra second or half a second seems to have made all the difference for Fleury. He's stopping the puck with regularity and the extra time also seems to have given him the chance to control his rebounds better -- another area of his game that has markedly improved since returning from the injury.

Whether he was listening to Brodeur or not, his play on the ice lately suggests he might as well have been. The bottom line is that Fleury has simply grown up as a goaltender in the NHL. He has realized that you can't just get by on quick reflexes. Being in the net is as much about "managing" your game ... your positioning ... your rebound control ... your composure ... as it is pure physical talent.

With everything seemingly coming together for Fleury at the right time, the Penguins couldn't ask for more.