Every now and then, people make me laugh. Not everyone gets it, and that's alright. I just love it when fans don't get why they play a losing goalie over a winning one. Sometimes it's not just about the stats. Sometimes it has to do who you have built a history of winning with, who is tied down to the big long term contract, and who has the bigger upside and future. The Pens want to see Marc-Andre Fleury regain his confidence. It's just a rough patch he's going through (at least one hopes so). They need to play him in back-to-back games to help him get his head back into it. Get some confidence back, as he won't be getting that by sitting on the bench. I don't know why I get that fundamental of coaching logic, and you guys don't... meh... probably because I am the greatest hockey fan ever!
In all seriousness, Brent Johnson will get more starts if MA Fleury doesn't provide the team with any assurance that he can snap out of this funk. Watch as Johnson starts a few, and Fleury is given another shot. The scary thing is as good as Johnson is, he is just on a hot streak. How long will he keep this up for? All I am saying, with Fleury's age and potential, and more importantly what the Pens have sunken into him, they don't want to ruin him by not giving the guy as many chances to prove his naysayers wrong. If it persists, even he won't be safe. But he is currently their No. 1 guy. Hockey, like any sport, is mental as well, and a good coach will always try to exploit that, and work to make sure his players are in the best mental shape as possible. In fact, I would be doing the same exact thing like Dan Bylsma has been doing and supporting him, especially when we're only at the 1/8th mark. Talk to me when it's 30 games in. Speaking of the number 30, it's no fluke the Flower won 30 games for the Penguins in back-to-back playoffs. He also has been known to play some of his best hockey in the most important games, case in point: Game 7 of the 2009 Final where he made some very big important saves to help the Pens capture their first Stanley Cup in nearly two decades. But I suppose it's easy to forget those days. We live in a generation and society of what have you done for me lately.
