April 21
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"
And The Flower blooms again. The Penguins still can't stop the Philadelphia power play, but apparently goalie Marc-Andre Fleury decided he had seen enough. After sustaining the worst series of his career through four games, Fleury stole the show with a mesmerizing performance in the third period of Game 5 to give the Penguins a 3-2 victory against the Flyers. Fleury made no fewer than five brilliant saves during a Philadelphia power play seven minutes into the final period. He made saves on Danny Briere, Scott Hartnell and Brayden Schenn that brought the sold-out Consol Energy Center crowd to its feet. Game 6 is scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia. The Flyers lead the"
April 19
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
columnist Dejan Kovacevic
"
Anyone doubting whether the Penguins remain alive in these Stanley Cup playoffs, no matter how faint the pulse, really shouldn`t have paid too much heed to the franchise-record-tying offense, tough as it was to miss in the 10-3 all-out annihilation of the Flyers in Game 4 on Wednesday night. Yeah, Jordan Staal was rewarded with a hat trick after he`d been one of the few steady performers all series. Evgeni Malkin broke through with his first two goals. Steve Sullivan, in addition to almost singlehandedly restoring sanity to the power play, found top shelf on a rink-length rush."
April 17
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"
Penguins coach Dan Bylsma doesn`t usually converse with Marc-Andre Fleury before games. Goalies are a different breed, and leaving them alone with their thoughts is a coaching tradition that Bylsma generally follows. Not this time. Not when times are this desperate, and not when Fleury`s thoughts are consumed by negativity. "I will be speaking with him," Bylsma said Monday, an off-day for the Penguins during Round 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs. "As we go forward here, I think it`s imperative that if we are going to scratch back in the series and get in this thing, it`s going to be on the strength of Marc-Andre Fleury in our net.""
April 3
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"
Marc-Andre Fleury might have just one or two chances to find his playoff form before the postseason begins, but the goalie said he believes he'll be ready. And feeling confident. And likely rested. "I'm not happy losing those games," said Fleury, who has lost three straight, including Sunday's 6-4 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, "but I'm not worried, either, that it's going to be a bad playoffs." He said his past three games have been disappointing, including two losses to the division's last-place New York Islanders. This is just the second time all season Fleury has lost more than two consecutive games."
March 30
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"
The Penguins' goaltending rotation — or lack thereof — is starting to take shape. Brad Thiessen was sent back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Thursday after taking part in the morning skate. Brent Johnson, following a monthlong knee problem, has returned as Marc-Andre Fleury's backup and might play Friday night in Buffalo. Fleury, who has participated in 64 games, said he is not fatigued and would be willing to play in every game remaining in the regular season. "I feel good now," Fleury said. "So I just go one day at a time, one game at a time. I don't think too far ahead." Bylsma said he has confidence in Johnson and his balky knee. "He wouldn't be backing up if he wasn't able to play,""
March 29
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"
Despite taking quite a beating against the Islanders Tuesday, goalie Marc-Andre Fleury practiced Wednesday and will be available for Thursday night's rematch in Long Island. Fleury took a shot to the jaw, was knocked over once and had his mask dislodged in a collision with defenseman Paul Martin on Tuesday. The Penguins maintained he was pulled from the game because of an uncharacteristically poor performance, not health reasons. This was confirmed when Fleury practiced Wednesday. "It's good," he said. "Couple of good hits. We're lucky. We play with good helmets.""
March 23
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
columnist Shelly Anderson
"
The Penguins have made it clear they want what the New York Rangers have -- first place in the Atlantic Division, which this season also means first place and the top playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. They went into the game Thursday night against Nashville at Consol Energy Center three points behind the Rangers. They also needed one point to clinch a playoff spot, which coach Dan Bylsma insisted was not a formality. "At the beginning of the year, it's not a stated goal to make the playoffs because one of our goals is to win the Stanley Cup, so we know we have to make the playoffs, [but] getting into the playoffs is a big deal, and it's not to be overlooked," he said."
March 10
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"
Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik simply laughed at the memory of goalie Marc-Andre Fleury's struggles early last season. Those days seem like a lifetime ago. Fleury bailed out the Penguins' offense for the second time this homestand and led them to their eighth straight victory in a 2-1 shootout win over the Florida Panthers on Friday at Consol Energy Center. The goaltender stopped 28 of 29 shots and denied both shooters in the shootout. Center Evgeni Malkin was held without a point for a second straight game, while right wing James Neal hasn't scored since Feb. 19. Both scored in the shootout. "It was last year that everybody wanted to trade him," Orpik said with a smile. "Thank God"
February 23
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"
Even though a strong possibility exists that the Penguins will meet the Rangers at some point during this spring's Stanley Cup playoffs, New York's most valuable player offered some polite advice to coach Dan Bylsma and his staff. Give Marc-Andre Fleury a break. Fleury is on pace to play 70 games for the first time in his career, and Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist believes goaltenders who reach that range — he would know — simply aren't as effective in the postseason. "If you look at the last 10 or 15 years," Lundqvist said, "not a lot of goalies that played over 60 or 65 games have won (the Stanley Cup). It's tough. It's a long year." Lundqvist's math is correct."
February 22
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"
Penguins center Evgeni Malkin and Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, likely the two leading candidates for NHL MVP, found themselves in a showdown Tuesday during the second period of a scoreless game. Advantage, Malkin. Malkin beat Lundqvist on a breakaway, and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury outplayed the Rangers' star, as the Penguins emerged with a 2-0 victory at Consol Energy Center. Fleury's shutout is the 22nd of his career, tying Tom Barrasso for most in franchise history. The game's most memorable moment occurred 1:05 into the second period. Malkin was aware of Lundqvist's reputation as perhaps the best goalie against breakaways. He just didn't care. "Yes, he's good," Malkin said. "But I'm"
February 5
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"
The Penguins' eight-game winning streak ended in Toronto on Wednesday, but goalie Marc-Andre Fleury's personal streak continues. Fleury has won nine consecutive starts following an outstanding performance in a 2-1 victory over the Bruins on Saturday. Although Boston's offense was silenced most of the game by the Penguins' strong defensive work, there were a few notable lapses late in the game. Fleury was there every time. "Flower was great," right wing Pascal Dupuis said, "especially down the stretch." Fleury stopped 28 of 29 shots."
December 16
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"
Inconsistency once prevented the Penguins' Marc-Andre Fleury from becoming an elite goalie. Things can change quickly. In a troubling year in which Penguins stars have sustained major injuries, Fleury has become the team's rock. There might not be a more consistent goalie in hockey, and without Fleury's steadiness, the injury-ravaged Penguins may have long ago lost their way. "It's unbelievable because of how young he is," defenseman Brooks Orpik said. "People don't understand what he's done, how young he was when he won the Cup. Goalies usually just start to come into their own at his age." Fleury turned 27 last month. His next victory will be the 200th of his career. Such a pace is"
November 9
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"
Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury concedes it is about time he won 40 regular-season games again for the Penguins. "It was so early when it happened that I thought, 'Oh, I can do this again soon, yeah,' " Fleury said of the 2006-07 campaign, his first as the clear go-to goalie, that ended with 40 victories. "It's been a little while now, and we've had great teams. So that's the goal." A year ago Sunday marked the low point of his professional hockey life. Pulled after allowing two goals on five shots in fewer than seven minutes during a start at Phoenix on Nov. 6, 2010, Fleury looked like a lost goalie — and the Penguins looked like a franchise contractually tied to an emotionally wrecked starter"
October 29
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"
Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is clearly among the NHL's elite performers, and when it comes to working overtime, he only gets better. His evolution as a goaltender perhaps almost complete, Fleury has arguably become the NHL's most difficult man to beat in shootouts. He is perfect this season and has won 16 of his past 20 shootouts, something the Penguins have noticed. "He's such a calming influence in those situations," center Dustin Jeffrey said. "He's just so good, so steady." Fleury has refined his style over the years, leaning more on a sound positional approach instead of relying on his exceptional athleticism. Of course, the athleticism that made Fleury the first overall pick in"
October 26
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"
The teamwork that has made the Penguins so good without their stars over the past two seasons is nice. Simply having the two best players on the ice also works. On a night when the Penguins were outplayed, returning center Evgeni Malkin and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury were the best players on the ice in a 3-0 victory before 10,681 at Nassau Coliseum. Fleury stopped 33 shots for this 20th career shutout."
September 18
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"
Marc-Andre Fleury hails from the quiet, usually cold Quebec town of Sorel-Tracy, so his summer vacation must have made for quite the culture shock. "I went to Africa," the Penguins' goaltender playfully beamed after practice Saturday at Consol Energy Center. Fleury and his fiancee flew to South Africa -- they started in Cape Town -- then went on a safari in the northern part of the country on one of its many wildlife reserves. They were driven through the reserve and, as he described it, saw some remarkable sights: Two lions attacked a hippopotamus. An elephant was knocking down a tree. "It's something we both talked about doing, and we're really glad we did," Fleury said. "It's a great"
April 24
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"
Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury had been pulled from one Stanley Cup playoff game - his first in 2007 - before Dan Bylsma took over as coach prior to the 2009 postseason. Bylsma pulled Fleury for a third time in the past 21 playoff games Saturday during an 8-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Consol Energy Center in Game 5 of a first-round Stanley Cup playoff series. Fleury made 10 saves and allowed four goals in 14 minutes, 29 seconds. Fleury, though, has a history of playing his best after looking his worst. He allowed just four goals in two previous playoff starts that followed an early exit. The Penguins won both games: 4-3 in Game 2 of a first-round series at Ottawa in 2007 and"
April 10
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"
Penguins coach Dan Bylsma didn't know what had happened to his franchise goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury. There were bigger problems than Fleury's numbers, though those were worrisome. So terrific during training camp, Fleury had started the season 1-6-0. He had allowed 25 goals on 170 shots. Worse, Fleury's familiar smile hadn't been seen for weeks. It was the morning of Nov. 12. As that evening's home game against Tampa Bay approached, it was clear something larger than two points was at stake. Seventeen months to the day from a career-defining win in Game 7 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final, Fleury needed to show his coach something ? that unique trait that he had seemingly mastered during five"
March 29
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"
Marc-Andre Fleury's incredible week was appreciated in Western Pennsylvania, but apparently not by fans around the league. The league announced its weekly "3 stars," and Fleury was not included. Instead, the NHL honored Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller, Anaheim winger Corey Perry and New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist. Fleury went 3-0 last week, stopping 77 of 79 shots. He also stopped all but one shot he faced while winning three consecutive shootouts. Fleury's eye-popping stats included a 0.61 GAA and .975 save percentage. Miller, who was named player of the week, went 3-0 and recorded two shutouts. He stopped 83 of 85 shots during this stretch. Perry scored five goals and added an"
March 28
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"
About the only thing Marc-Andre Fleury missed Sunday was the obvious, that he is the Penguins' most valuable player. The truth is there wasn't another player in the running for the annual award, presented to Fleury before he stopped 37 shots in a 2-1 shootout victory over the Florida Panthers at Consol Energy Center. "I wasn't really expecting that," he said of the team MVP honor. "It's a nice reward to have. I just tried to put it aside and get two points for the game." Earning two points - or, more precisely, willing the Penguins to two points - has been Fleury's specialty in recent games. Put more bluntly, the Penguins have scored a mere two goals in their last three games, and have won"
March 20
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
columnist Joe Starkey
"
A month into the season, he was no longer Marc-Andre Fleury. He was Marc-Andre flustered. His confidence was crushed. His critics were howling. "That time felt like forever," Fleury recalls. "It felt like everybody wanted to run me over with their car." Not that they would have hit him; Fleury was letting everything past him. His numbers were frightening: a 1-6 record with a 3.54 goals-against average and an .853 save percentage that ranked 40th in a 30-team league. "My toughest time in hockey," he said then. What made the slump especially disturbing was that it came on the heels of a subpar 2009-10 season that ended with Fleury flopping in Game 7 against Montreal. He'd even been"
March 16
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"
In Dan Bylsma's mind, goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is a candidate for some hardware at the end of the season. Bylsma figures Fleury has a shot at both the Vezina (best goalie) and Hart (MVP) trophies. "I don't think it can be overlooked that he should be in consideration for both those trophies," Bylsma said. "He's been the backbone of our team. There's been a lot of injuries. We haven't had a full lineup, I think, but two games this year. He's been a major reason why we've been a competitive team and a good team and a good defensive team. He's been outstanding. I don't think without his season, we're in the position we are, to be within three points of Philadelphia for top spot in the East.""
February 26
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"
As injuries have depleted almost every facet of the Penguins' roster, they have relied heavily on goalie Marc-Andre Fleury's brilliance. For one night, he finally looked human. Fleury was pulled in favor of backup Brent Johnson after stopping only eight of 11 shots, and the Penguins never recovered from an early ambush, dropping their fourth straight game in a 4-1 setback at Carolina. "The start of this game is what killed us," right wing Craig Adams said. None of the goals Fleury allowed could be considered soft. Coach Dan Bylsma acknowledged that he yanked Fleury more for the sake of sparking the team than any disenchantment with his performance. The Penguins controlled large portions of"
February 1
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"
The Penguins' first practice after the All-Star break included their two players who participated in All-Star Weekend at in North Carolina. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and defenseman Kris Letang each took the ice Monday at Consol Energy Center less than 24 hours after playing in the All-Star Game at Raleigh's RBC Center on Sunday afternoon. Fleury said he "really didn't sweat a lot" over the weekend, and Letang added that "there wasn't any time to relax." However, both players wanted to get in a practice with the Penguins starting a stretch of four games tonight through Sunday. "Talking to both players, especially Marc, he felt like he did a lot of stuff, but not a lot of hockey stuff," coach"
January 26
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"
The Penguins have adopted a conservative, low-scoring style with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin out of the lineup. If Marc-Andre Fleury keeps playing like this, any style will do. The Flower continued to bloom Tuesday against the Islanders, his early-season struggles a thing of the past. Fleury stopped 29 shots while earning his 18th career shutout, and Craig Adams scored the game's only goal in a 1-0 victory over the Islanders. The Penguins don't play again until next Tuesday because of the all-star break. Fleury's recent surge figures to stop Crosby and Malkin from rushing back into the lineup, given that the Penguins appear capable of beating anyone because of their goaltender's"