Much has been written about the Penguins woes at this EARLY juncture in the season. Most of the heat seems to have landed in Marc Andre Fleury's lap. It is really tough to make a hard argument about his play being that good. His GAA is 3.41, and his save % is .853, hardly numbers that will keep you in the league over the LONG run, much less win you a cup. First, it is EARLY, second, the team is decimated by injuries particularly in the area of defense with their best defensive forward Jordan Staal sidelined until November and the top two defensive defensemen Orpik and Michalek out with injuries as well. He also has been hung out to dry by a team that seems to be playing very sloppy at times. That said, you cannot give up 4 goals on 14 shots period! Hey, I am not a big Fleury apologist, and I fully expected better play from him after a subpar season last year and his play the last couple of games has irritated me quite a bit. But, lets remember folks that this team was built to win down the middle with roughly 27M of their cap put into the three centers, Staal, Malkin and Crosby, along with goaltender Fleury. Lets look at these players 4 games into the season. As noted, Staal has not even played, so 1/4 of the foundation that this team was built on has not even dressed. Four games in Crosby and Malkin have 2 points each, with 84 players in the NHL having more points at this point, and plenty more having at least as many. Not exactly the production you would expect from two of the top 5 players in the league. Fleury's poor numbers are posted above, and they speak for themselves. My point is FIRST STILL THAT IT IS WAY EARLY TO JUMP OFF A BRIDGE! The season is 4 games old, and every year there are ups and downs.....maybe this Pens team is going to get its DOWN early in the season. Second, that this team was built to win with the four above referenced players leading the way. When all four are not clicking for one reason or other( or not even playing), the chances of the Pens winning a lot of games is slim. The good news is that Staal is actually skating again, and hopefully will be ready to play in the next month or so. We dont have any historical basis to believe that Crosby will NOT find his game, and be the dominant player he has been throughout his career. He has had slow starts and slump periods in every season he has played, but every year Crosby ultimately delivers the goods, and this year will be no different. I had written in the preseason that I thought both Fleury and Malkin would have rebound years and that this would help propel this team deep into the playoffs again. I still think that this will be true, but I am not as ready to bet the farm on either of the two. Fleury is young, but he is a veteran at this point, and still seems to suffer the mental lapses and short side softies that have plagued him at times for his whole career. I am hopeful that Disco Dan uses the fact that Johnson is a very capable backup to keep Fleury focused, so as to not lose starts to a capable back up. Talks of trading Fleury at this point are insane though. As far as Malkin, I thought that he would be a beast this season, and he still might, but he might not. Some members of the media who cover the Pens commented on Malkins "I don't care" attitude and effort relative to his horrendous record on penalty shots, shoot outs, and breakaways. That attitude was apparent to me last year, and if it is a long term issue this year, it will be a problem. Hey, Geno is talented enough to scrape up 70-80 points per year even half motivated. The probem is that the Pens need 100+ from both Crosby and Malkin, as the cap space they eat limits the complementary scoring power they can add to the team. Lets hope that Geno catches fire and plays like the monster that made our playoff opponents during the cup run look like children at times. I still think we will be very happy Pens fans this spring, but I have to admit that I will be keeping a particular eye on Geno and Flower over the coming weeks. Finally, lets not forget how much of a factor Orpik is with regard to the defense on this team, and that Z Michalek was supposed to be the other shut down defenseman and he is also out of the lineup. Staal and Asham out of the lineup has prevented the Pens from implementing that Staal Malkin second unit, as well as the nasty nasty 3rd line that was to be Cooke, Talbot and Asham. Be patient folks, I still think this team is loaded, and the silver lining in the black cloud of injuries is that we are getting to see some of the younger guys step up and play a solid game for this team. They have had stretches in games in which they were able to bottle up the other team. They have also had significant lapses, and their goaltender has not made that big stop to steal a game YET. Despite all of the negative fodder I provided above, the Pens could have won every one of the games they lost. If the four horsemen play to their potential, the supporting cast and improved defensive corps(when healthy) will have the Pens in the NHL's elite status, and positioned to be a real threat to reclaim that Cup. I expect to be rockin in the back yard into the early summer again despite a rocky start. Go Pens!!
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