Backup to start in net
CANONSBURG, Pa. — Pittsburgh Penguins coach Michel Therrien said he'll bench goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and start backup Jocelyn Thibault when the Penguins play at the Florida Panthers tonight.
Therrien has been openly critical of Fleury since Monday's 6-5 loss to the New York Islanders.
"We're not satisfied. He's got to upgrade his game and he knows it," Therrien said after Wednesday's practice. "It's part of my responsibility to make sure that he'll get better."
Fleury has started most of the Penguins' games this season and was in the net for the better part of the team's recent 14-0-2 streak that saw them climb from 13th to fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
Fleury, the first overall pick in the 2003 draft, is 29-13-7 with a 2.92 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage. In his last five starts, he is 4-1-0, but his goals-against average has ballooned to 4.40, his save percentage is a subpar .847 and he has allowed at least four goals in each game.
"I can understand why he wasn't happy with me last game," Fleury said. "I don't remember the last four games, but I thought we won three of them and that's the main thing."
In Fleury's first eight starts in December, he went 3-4-1 with a 4.26 goals-against average and a .840 save percentage. He was twice pulled from starts in favor of Thibault, who has played well in spot starts lately despite having been on the bench for most of the season.
Thibault won his last two games, including a 3-2 victory Sunday against Washington in which he stopped 29 of 31 shots.
"I don't want to be surprised when I play because that's why you work every day," Thibault said. "I got a chance to play Sunday and now I get to play (tonight), so I'll try to jump on that opportunity and I'm always ready to play."
Thibault was a starting goaltender in Quebec, Colorado, Montreal and Chicago before signing a two-year deal with Pittsburgh prior to last season. He has played at least 60 games in six different seasons.
