The Pittsburgh Penguins currently rank third in the Metropolitan Division thanks largely in part to the play of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.
Fleury ranks in the top 10 among all NHL goaltenders in wins, save percentage and shutouts, but ranks fourth overall with 19 games played and sixth overall 569 shots against raises some concerns about the longevity of “The Flower” over the course of the regular season and anticipated playoff run.
The 2003 first overall draft pick turned 31-years old on Saturday. Currently on pace to play in 68 games in 2015–16, the Penguins needs to find a way to cut down the workload for Fleury.
Despite a small sample size, the strong play of backup goaltender Jeff Zatkoff needs to be given some recognition in the form of a few extra starts with three quarters of a season left to play.
Frequently, despite the denial of coaching staffs and players, teams adapt a stronger defensive style with the backup goaltender in net. Interestingly, the Penguins play nearly identical with either Fleury or Zatkoff in net. The team gives up 29.9 shots on average with Fleury in the cage compared to 38.5 shots against with Zatkoff between the pipes. The average for Zatkoff skews slightly when factoring in 53 shots against in a game versus the Buffalo Sabres in late October. Ignoring the outlier, the average shots against faced by Zatkoff comes in at 33.7.
Among all NHL backup goaltenders, Zatkoff ranks third with a .936 save percentage, behind only Jhonas Enroth of the Los Angeles Kings and Antti Raanta of the New York Rangers, and sixth with a 2.36 save percentage.
Zatkoff excelled in the AHL last season, sharing Harry “Hap” Holmes Trophy honors with Matt Murray as the goaltending tandem with the lowest goals against average in the regular season and posted respectable numbers in 20 games as the backup in Pittsburgh in 2013–14.
On pace to appear in 14 games in 2015–15, bumping the number of starts for Zatkoff up to 20 gives Fleury six extra games of physical and mental rest either in the grind of the season or down the stretch, assuming the Penguins lock up a playoff spot early.
With 10 back to backs remaining on the Penguins schedule, essentially 10 guaranteed starts for Zatkoff, the team needs to look for a few additional spots to give Fleury a night off.
Fleury still gives the Penguins the best chance to win in any given game by a longshot, but needs to be kept fresh for the end of the season and the playoffs. Figuring in Zatkoff for four to eight extra starts outside of the back to backs now likely helps give Fleury, and ultimately the Penguins, a better chance in the long run.
