2011 NHL Playoffs: Can Marc-Andre Fleury Steal Game 2?

To say Marc-Andre Fleury was stellar on Wednesday night in Pittsburgh would be a huge understatement. The Sorel, Quebec native held the line with his outstanding saves throughout the whole game, keeping the Tampa Bay Lightning at bay and helping his team win Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

Fleury made 32 saves Wednesday night, including a barrage of shots early in the first period. The Lightning were heavily outshooting Pittsburgh, getting 14 shots in the first period alone.

First off, let's not take any credit away from the Penguins' patched-up offense, which got off 39 shots, including five shots and a goal from Alexei Kovalev. But Fleury kept them in the game early and because of that, they obtained momentum which helped them pick it up offensively and get to their game.

So now we head to Friday's Game 2 in Pittsburgh. Many agree that if the Penguins want to win the Stanley Cup, they will need to continue to get stellar goaltending from Fleury if Sidney Crosby isn't going to play.

Marc-Andre Fleury had three shutouts this season. In all three of those shutouts, Fleury responded in the next game with a win. This pretty much means that Fleury is as good as he can be right now. With Game 2 also at home, he'll continue having the crowd's support and the momentum will carry forward to Friday night. He has also only allowed two goals this season to Tampa Bay at home.

When Fleury's hot, it's very hard to get through him. The Penguins defense will probably do a better job with adjustments and allow less shots to ease the job for Fleury. In other words, there is a very good chance, based on statistics and the momentum that Fleury has right now, that he will have a repeat performance Friday night.

Despite this, it should be noted that Fleury made some spectacular instinctive saves on Wednesday night which, if they had gone in, would have changed the complexion of the game. That being said, Fleury should be able to play well because his confidence is at an astronomical level right now.

Game 3 might be a different story, because the game is at Tampa Bay and Fleury has not performed well in Central Florida this season. But for the next showdown in the Steel City, count on Fleury to dominate again and the Penguins to head to Florida with a 2-0 lead in the series.