The Penguins Should Worry If Bad Marc-André Fleury Is Back

There are two Marc-André Fleurys. There's Good Marc-André Fleury, and then there's Bad Marc-André Fleury. No one had seen Bad Marc-André Fleury in years. Legend has it, the Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender decided he was causing too much harm to his loved ones, so in the summer of 2013 he abandoned society to roam the woods and survive by taking odd jobs. Citizens claimed to have spotted him in recent years, but it could never be confirmed.

Not long after Bad Marc-André Fleury's disappearance, Good Marc-André Fleury arrived in Pittsburgh. He looked a lot like Bad Marc-André Fleury, only he didn't implode during the playoffs. Many believe these two Fleurys are the same guy—that it's simply a matter of hard work and coaching having helped Fleury become stronger mentally and technically, and that conspiracy theorists who say there are two Fleurys the way there are two Avril Lavignes should be ignored.

The battle between these two factions has been reignited after Bad Fleury emerged from hiding against the Ottawa Senators Wednesday night. Good Fleury would never have allowed four goals on nine shots. Kicking a goal into his own net and having another bank off his foot because he was out of his position? That's the modus operandi of Bad Fleury, to be sure.

With his team now trailing 2-1 in the conference finals series to the Senators, coach Mike Sullivan has a decision to make before Game 4. Was this just a hiccup by Good Fleury, or is Bad Fleury back to stake his claim to the latest Penguins postseason disappointment?

Given the chance to immediately endorse Fleury about 30 minutes after Game 3, Sullivan said, "What is a flower but the wondrous result of nature's magical process? The water. The earth. The sun. They create the flower but never let us see the roots. For that reason, I must study my water, my earth, my sun, and much like the flower's roots, I must not let you see my decision until it's time for the flower to bloom."

Just kidding. What Sullivan said so eloquently into a microphone was, "I haven't given any consideration to that at this point."

So what should Sullivan be considering?

He should consider starting his best goaltender: Matt Murray.

Since Murray entered the league during the 2015-16 season, he has a .924 save percentage including playoffs (and a Stanley Cup win) and is 11 months removed from winning a Stanley Cup; Fleury is a .919 goaltender over that same period. If not for an injury before the Penguins' first-round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Murray would have been in the net all along for the Penguins, and they would be in the exact same place they are now: the conference finals.

With Murray on the shelf, however, Fleury carried the Penguins for the first two rounds of the playoffs. Now Sullivan has to decide if Fleury has taken the team as far as he can.

Fleury, of course, was on the short list for the Conn Smythe Trophy before his nightmare Game 3 against Ottawa. Even now, his save percentage has fallen from .931 to .925, which reflects how strong he has been in the postseason. But it also reflects a performance that has been far above anything Fleury has done since, well, ever. His career-best save percentage was .921 in 2015-16. This past regular season, he had a mere .909 save percentage, playing mostly as Murray's backup.

Fleury was the difference in all four wins against the Capitals. His Game 3 showing could be a blip, or it could be the return of Bad Fleury, but it could also just be a sign that his workload is catching up to him.

The last time Fleury made 15 starts in a row before this postseason was during the 2011-12 regular season, when he started 23 consecutive games. He was 28 years old then, still in his prime, and even then was pulled twice for Johnson. Now 32, Fleury looks like he needs a break, and it's possible Sullivan is open to that idea.

It was just last year that Sullivan gave Murray a respite during the conference finals after a shaky showing and 13 consecutive starts, the most in his short career. That was with the series tied 2-2. Fleury had to step up and, not surprisingly, was not good at all in his first start in nearly two months, resulting in Sullivan returning to Murray in time to win Games 6 and 7 along with that Stanley Cup.

So history suggests that Sullivan will make the switch to Murray for Game 4, and he should. Fleury has done more than anyone had any right to expect for the Penguins, and he should get the loudest cheers if there is another Cup parade in Pittsburgh. Against the Senators, however, whose disciplined, structured, intensely boring style leaves an injury-plagued Penguins squad with little room for error, Sullivan can't risk Bad Fleury being back from the woods and ready to wreak havoc on the team's second straight Stanley Cup run.

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