It was just one of 21 wins this season for Marc-Andre Fleury, one of 343 in his long career as Penguins goaltender. But, somehow, this one felt a little more important than most. Fleury needed it. The Penguins needed it from him.
Fleury has been the team’s MVP all season, but his previous two starts went poorly. He gave up five goals on 23 shots against Ottawa in the first game a week ago, yet escaped with a 6-5 win. He gave up four goals on 14 shots against Tampa Bay in the second game Friday night before being benched for Jeff Zatfoff in a 6-3 loss.