Fleury breaking out of slump

By Jeff

Don't look now, but Pittsburgh Penguins Marc-Andre Fleury is playing some of the best hockey he's played in about a year. 

Fleury is 3-0-1 in his last three starts and has yet to allow more than two goals in regulation. That's a .932 saves percentage and 1.75 goals against average. Not too shabby. 

No idea where the goal is, but at least the puck isn't in it.

Those numbers would be impressive against anyone, but the teams Fleury faced in the past four games are all in the top 10 for goals per game. The Tampa Bay Lightning are sixth with 3.16, the Vancouver Canucks are seventh with 3.06 and the New York Rangers and Atlanta Thrashers are tied with several teams for eighth. Three of those teams (Lightning, Canucks and Thrashers) also have top five power play units. 

Could all this come crashing down for Fleury? Unfortunately for the Pens and their fans, yes. His first seven starts this year, in which he never let in less than three goals, are proof that he can get off track for long periods of time. And if you ever forget that, there are plenty of people who will be happy to remind you and say they would have rather signed Ty Conklin to a long-term deal.

Haters will always try and bring Fleury down. While he has had rough patches, some people are just ridiculous is trashing him. It's almost as if these fans would rather see him fail and the Pens lose, just so they could say "I told you Fleury sucks!" 

But for now, these haters have nothing on Fleury. He is playing at a high level and helping the Pens win games. That's all that matters.

Green Day - Minority