The Pittsburgh Penguins are through to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but head coach Dan Bylsma refused to name his starting goaltender for the upcoming series. After the Penguins defeated the Islanders in Game 6 on Saturday to win the series 4-2, Bylsma was asked whether he would stick with Tomas Vokoun in net or go back to Marc-Andre Fleury, but the coach refused to even acknowledge the question.
Penguins refuse to name starting goalie for second round
Dan Bylsma refused to commit to a starting goalie for the Penguins’ second round series against the Senators.
Paul Bereswill
“We’ll enjoy the fact that we got four wins and moving on,” Bylsma said.
Fleury struggled in the first four games of the Penguins’ first round series and was benched for Game 5 in favor of Vokoun, who helped Pittsburgh win to go ahead 3-2 in the series. Vokoun also got the start in Game 6, another Penguins win, and finished the series with 67 saves on 70 shots.
Vokoun is paid handsomely for a backup, earning $2 million per season, and for good reason. Fleury is hardly the most dependable of goalies and when he falls apart like he did in the first round, Pittsburgh needs someone like Vokoun to be able to step in. Now Bylsma has to decide whether he can trust Fleury again or it might be more of the solid, if unspectacular Vokoun.
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