Everyone hates Bryz until March, Fleury has been great throughout the season. Neither goalie is great through two playoff games, Flyers defense far superior to Pens non-existant defense.
HF Logic Ruling: Bryz > Fleury
Stick Toss'N'Break Competition: Bryz > Fleury
Fleury was not "great" this year. Consistently average behind a great team.
I wouldn't want either goalie as both have shown they can only win games when they not only have a ton of depth in front of them but also if the depth in front of them is greater than the opposing team.
I want a goalie that can hold his own well enough even when the team has depth issues. I'm happy with Mike Smith so far over those 2.
Bryzgalov had a terrible year, by his standards, and still put up a season equivalent to Fleury.
Fleury has this aura about him because he appeared in two Stanley Cup Finals. He has become tremendously overrated because of it. He has posted a sub .900SV% in 4 out of 6 post seasons. In the year he won the Stanley Cup he posted a whopping .908SV% and receives accolades for stopping a late shot by Lidstrom.
His best playoff run, by far, was when they lost to the Red Wings. That year, he genuinely was special. Would have been the front runner for the Conn Smythe had they won. But one good post season, and a slew of mediocre regular seasons, does not make him a top goaltender.
I've always envisioned Fleury as a 10-15 goaltender. Never a top-3/top-5 like some media outlets or fans might suggest.
It's hard to say. I think Fleury might be more "mentally sound" in that he can stay focused and not let things get to him as much as Bryz might, which in turn can affect Bryz's performance negatively.... but in the end, I'd say they're both "good goalies". It really depends on where their heads are at at any given moment.
Bryzgalov had a terrible year, by his standards, and still put up a season equivalent to Fleury.
Fleury has this aura about him because he appeared in two Stanley Cup Finals. He has become tremendously overrated because of it. He has posted a sub .900SV% in 4 out of 6 post seasons. In the year he won the Stanley Cup he posted a whopping .908SV% and receives accolades for stopping a late shot by Lidstrom.
His best playoff run, by far, was when they lost to the Red Wings. That year, he genuinely was special. Would have been the front runner for the Conn Smythe had they won. But one good post season, and a slew of mediocre regular seasons, does not make him a top goaltender.
I've always envisioned Fleury as a 10-15 goaltender. Never a top-3/top-5 like some media outlets or fans might suggest.
Yeah you watch that and tell me he's overrated.
Game 6 and Game 7, want to look at the stats?
Game 6
Fleury, 25 saves, 1 GA
Game 7
Fleury, 23 saves, 1 GA
That may not be impressive to you, it's not some 45 save performance but believe me when I tell you a good 25% of those shots were high quality scoring opportunities. Especially Game 7 I'm not sure many goaltenders only allow 1 goal. He stopped 3 very good shot opportunities in that game.
This after getting pound for 5 goals in Game 5.
So I take Fleury because of the clutch factor and because of the mental edge as well.
His biggest gaff would have to be against the Americans at the World Juniors. Since then he's been pretty damn on the ball when he has to be.
Montreal in 2012 was bad, but his team didn't help for that 4-0 onslaught. I think too many people overlook the Penguins very questionable defense in all of this. It's never been that great and not like they have great defensive forward either.
Both goalies have been ranged from merely mediocre to absolutely horrid over a two-game sample size. In no way, shape or form has this series been representative of either goalie's track record or likely future performance. It's been a show of offensive brilliance and defensive and goaltending breakdowns. Its predictive value is nil.
That may not be impressive to you, it's not some 45 save performance but believe me when I tell you a good 25% of those shots were high quality scoring opportunities. Especially Game 7 I'm not sure many goaltenders only allow 1 goal. He stopped 3 very good shot opportunities in that game.
This after getting pound for 5 goals in Game 5.
So I take Fleury because of the clutch factor and because of the mental edge as well.
His biggest gaff would have to be against the Americans at the World Juniors. Since then he's been pretty damn on the ball when he has to be.
Montreal in 2012 was bad, but his team didn't help for that 4-0 onslaught. I think too many people overlook the Penguins very questionable defense in all of this. It's never been that great and not like they have great defensive forward either.
Pittsburgh doesn't have questionable defense. It hasn't looked hot right now, but overall, the Penguins are such a dangerous team because they offer a complete game. Their relatively low GA and 3rd ranked PK are a testament to that.
You went to the one event I was speaking of. I think Fleury has had memorable playoff moments, but I don't think he is an elite goaltender by any stretch of the means. Again, despite winning a Cup, he had a significantly better playoff run when the team lost the Cup (on an individual level).
Fleury hasn't been good in the post season this year. He wasn't good last year. He wasn't good the year before that. I think we could all agree on that. This is three sub par post seasons in a row. And he wasn't good in his first year either. To me, that doesn't scream the most clutch goaltender in the world (which is the label he is given because of the video you posted).
Fleury is a decent-pretty good starting goaltender. Nothing more, nothing less.
