Five Pittsburgh Penguins Who Will Benefit Most From Olympic Break
By Matt Gajtka
Feb 7, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goalie
Marc-Andre Fleury(29) on the ice against the New York Rangers during the third period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Rangers won 4-3 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
2. Rob Scuderi
Much like Adams, Scuderi is likely spending his Olympic break in rejuvenation mode. The 35-year-old is averaging the lowest ice time of his career at 18:27 and has played just 29 of the Penguins’ 58 games due to a broken ankle suffered in October, but the case could be made that Scuderi needs a breather.
Hopefully, Scuderi uses the next couple weeks to get some explosiveness back into his game. He’s never been the most dynamic defender, but his below-par possession numbers (44.2 percent Corsi) confirm what my eyes tell me: Scuderi is looking old.
Penguins coach Dan Bylsma has already realized this, since four regular defensemen are getting more ice time than Scuderi at this point. The Long Island product plays against middle-of-the-road competition and gets more shifts started in the offensive zone, so he’s being protected to some degree. If Scuderi wants to be more than a third-pairing defenseman in the future, he needs to come roaring back later this month.
You probably saw this coming. Fleury has played in 81 percent of the Penguins’ games so far, putting him on pace to reach 66 appearances for the fourth time in his career. Take this for what it’s worth, but every time Fleury has played more than 62 times in a regular season, he’s followed it up with a sub-.900 save percentage in the playoffs.
Of course, Fleury manned the net in just 68 percent of the Penguins’ regular-season games last season (33 of 48), and we all know how things went for him in May. Finding the optimal ratio of rest to game action is far from a precise science, but it’s not a reach to say Fleury will benefit from a slow February.
The 29-year-old is still maintaining a .919 save percentage, which would be his best mark since 2007-08, when he put up a .921 mark in 35 games. You may remember he sat out a couple months with a high-ankle sprain that year, a break which may have helped him stay fresh for his finest postseason to date (.933 SV% in Pens’ run to Stanley Cup Final).
It’s no guarantee that Fleury will keep his game together, but I like his chances much better than if this were a typical six-month marathon.