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Let me get this out of the way. It is not lost on me that Fleury had played well in Games 1-3. It is also not lost on me that he would have been the #1 star of the game this evening if the Penguins had won in regulation.
None of that matters.
What does matter are the optics of how things came apart tonight. It’s not just about the actual goals allowed and what it means to that particular game’s result, it is about what it does to the team's psyche. Forget about Fleury's psyche that is shot after this game. When teams can't trust their goaltender it is damning. How could any Penguins player have trust in Marc Andre Fleury after tonight? Of course the players will publicly support their friend and teammate, but deep down do you think any of them believe what they are saying?
Everybody said it all season long, it doesn't matter what Fleury does all year, let's see what happens in the playoffs. Well, this happened
And so did this:
Missing is the clip of Fleury not having any idea where the puck was before the whistle blew to stop play moments before the game winning goal in overtime.
How many times can you go back to the same well when this stuff happens? The answer is you can’t.
Fleury’s raw athletic skill and personality are intoxicating in a good way. Fleury is an easy guy to root for, a guy who I have enjoyed rooting for, but this is the end of the line.
I have played on teams that have had less than desirable goaltending and I have also coached teams with the same problem. The result is always the same, there is an immeasurable negative impact on the team’s mental state.
There is no recovering from it if you continue to play the same goaltender. It hovers over the team like a black cloud. The team knows they can play a terrific game and still not have the tangible result they deserve. That is so incredibly mentally wearing. There is a sense of defeat before you hit the ice.
I know NHL players are supposed to be professionals and all while having the ability to block things out, but they are human. It is human to have doubts, especially when you are given good reason to have those doubts.
In the time of year where you need everything to fire on all cylinders, you can’t have doubt creeping in.
Some might say this is an emotional response to a hard loss in the playoffs, but it isn’t. My thoughts couldn’t be clearer.
The Penguins can’t and shouldn’t go back to Marc Andre Fleury. If they do, that black cloud stays hovering over the team.
Thanks for reading!
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