Fleury spectacular as Pens blank Habs 2-0 to take series lead

Game 3: Pittsburgh 2 @ Montreal 0

Marc-Andre Fleury, so often cast as the scapegoat by fans and the media for losses, showed once again last evening why his teammates have never lost faith in him.  Fleury turned away all 18 shots he faced in a hard-earned shutout victory over the Canadiens at Bell Centre in his first hometown playoff game.  Fleury grew up in Sorel, Quebec, 50 miles northeast of Montreal.  Although the shot total by the Canadiens was low, many of the saves Fleury made were exceptional, especially in the third period with the Penguins clinging to a 1-0 lead thanks to a power play goal from Evgeni Malkin.

The Habs began the game by matching the energy level of their home crowd in the first period, keeping constant pressure in the offensive zone in a plan of attack similar to the puck-control strategy of Pittsburgh.  Uncharacteristically, Montreal outshot Pittsburgh 7-3 in the opening 20 minutes.  After fourth-line forward Glen Metropolit drew a tripping penalty against Pittsburgh defenceman Alex Goligoski, Montreal began buzzing around the Pens’ net.  Fleury, however, was equal to the challenge.  At 5:42, defenceman P.K. Subban ripped a point shot from the near boards just as Brian Gionta attempted a deflection while crashing into Fleury.  The Pittsburgh netminder stood his ground as he rolled his pads over and trapped the puck.

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Fleury also received some breaks toward the end of the period.  Mike Cammalleri carried the puck past the Penguins’ blue line, weaved to this left, then cut back to the slot just as Pittsburgh defenceman Mark Eaton fell.  Suddenly, with no one between him and the net except Fleury, Cammalleri fired a wrist shot just wide.  Then, with 1:26 left, Maxim Lapierre bolted across the front of the net and wristed the puck off the crossbar.

In the second period, the Penguins settled in and began controlling the tempo of the game.  While Fleury was sharp at one end of the ice, Montreal netminder Jaroslav Halak was, as usual, just as solid in the opposite goal.  Early in the period, Canadiens’ blueliner Ryan O’Byrne slipped as he played the puck at his own blue line.  Matt Cooke pounced on the loose biscuit for a short breakaway and ripped a shot that Halak steered away with his blocker.  Just seconds from the second intermission and the game still scoreless, the Penguins executed a sustained sequence of shots and scoring chances that laid the foundation for their successful power play after the break.  Crosby, whose hard wrist shot from the far circle nearly gave the Pens a late goal, used his speed, agility and balance to draw a holding penalty on ex-teammate Hal Gill at 19:48.

Finally, at 1:16 of the third period, the dam broke when the Penguins patiently used puck movement inside the offensive zone to force the Montreal penalty killers to move their feet and open up shooting lanes.  Stationed at their favourite spots on the ice for a power play, Sergei Gonchar and Malkin connected for the game-winning goal.  Gonchar at centre point, passed the puck to Malkin standing near the right half-wall.  Malkin wound up and fired a bullet past the glove-side of a double-screened Halak, whose vision was impaired by both Crosby and Chris Kunitz.

From that point on, it was Fleury who held the fort.  Mid-way through the period, he slid from his right to his left to bat away a one-timer from Cammalleri, who windmilled a shot from the bottom of the far circle.  Even that save by Fleury was not his best on the night.  The game-defining moment came near the end of the Canadiens’ final power play opportunity with under four minutes remaining in regulation.  Brian Gionta sent a cross-ice pass from left wing to Cammalleri as Tomas Plekanec headed to the net.  Cammalleri put a perfect shot-pass on net just as Plekanec made a perfect tip.  Unfortunately for Montreal, Fleury made a perfect save, fully stretching out and sliding left to right, keeping his right pad down to prevent the potential game-tying goal.  Pascal Dupuis clinched the game with an empty-net goal with 15 seconds left.

NOTES:

• The win was Fleury’s fourth post-season shutout.  His previous one clinched the 2008 Eastern Conference title in a 6-0 romp over Philadelphia on May 18, 2008.
• Speaking of Philadelphia, while you slept this morning, the tenth anniversary of the longest game in Penguins’ history (and third longest in NHL history) occurred.  On May 4/5, 2000, the Flyers beat the Penguins at Pittsburgh 2-1 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinal when Keith Primeau scored at 12:01 of the fifth overtime period.  Philadelphia recorded 72 shots on goal; Pittsburgh had 58 shots.  The game ended just before 2:30 am.
• Dmitry Chesnokov translates an interview of Malkin in Russian by Sovetsky Sport‘s Gennadi Boguslavki after last night’s game
• Jordan Staal participated in the off-day practice today wearing protective coverings on both skates after he suffered a lacerated right foot tendon in Game 1.  There is no timetable for his return to game action yet.