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Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tomas Vokoun confirmed that he will be starting against the Ottawa Senators in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinal on Tuesday night.
Vokoun started the final two games of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal against the New York Islanders, which resulted in consecutive wins by Pittsburgh and propelled the team to the second round of the playoffs. In those two starts, Vokoun registered a .957 save percentage, 1.41 goals against average and one shutout.
The backup goaltender was called upon to play after a disappointing showing from starter Marc-Andre Fleury in the quarterfinal. After recording a shutout in the first game of the series, Fleury's play drastically declined, which culminated in an astonishingly poor performance in Game 4.
Through those games, Fleury registered an .891 save percentage with a 3.40 goals against average.
Having developed a reputation as a player unable to perform in the playoffs in recent years, many believed that Pittsburgh acquired Vokoun during the offseason in order to have an insurance policy in the event Fleury faltered in the second season.
With the last two games in mind, it certainly seems to have been a wise decision.
It remained to be seen if head coach Dan Bylsma used Vokoun as a way to get Fleury out of the first round. In essence, allow the goalie to start fresh with a new series. It now appears Bylsma is ready to continue with the hot hand.
