The Sports Monitor

Ever watch a high school game when one team was very, very good and the other was, well, not so good? It was that bad for the Pittsburgh Penguins Monday night. And that's putting it mildly. The Pens lost 6-1 to the Boston Bruins in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference finals. It was a must-win game for the Pens, who now trail 2-0 and head to Boston for Games 3 and 4. The only thing Pittsburgh can take from the shellacking is it hit bottom. The big problem is there might not be enough time left to save the season. Tuukka Rask was solid in goal while Tomas Vokoun and Marc-Andre Fleury were equally bad. I understand if there is a goalie switch; with the season on the line the Pens would want their top goalie on the ice. Only I think their top goalie is Vokoun. Either way, without being too simplistic, the better goalie usually wins in the playoffs. The Pens will be hard-pressed to solve Vokoun four times in the next five games.

Do you still trust Marc-Andre Fleury? I don't. We'll see if the Penguins do when their Eastern Conference semifinal series starts later this week against the Ottawa Senators. But I can tell you one thing, I certainly don't want to see him in goal again. Yes, he's won a Cup. But he's cost the Penguins the past two springs in the playoffs. I don't want to see it become a third. Tomas Vokoun might not be the best goalie around, but with the players the Penguins have assembled, he doesn't need to be. The shutout of the Islanders in Game 5 was nice (Fleury also had one in Game 1), but Vokoun did enough to help the Penguins win Game 6. I'm afraid if Fleury would have played in Game 6, the Penguins would have lost. At a minimum, Vokoun should start until he puts up a Fleury-like game. Then a debate can begin. Until then, ride Vokoun.