Early Saturday morning, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced that starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury will not be making the team trip to New York due to having suffered a concussion. Fleury last played in the Penguins’ 5-2 romp of the Nashville Predators on Thursday night. Though it is still unknown of when the injury occurred, it can be assumed that it happened when Preds’ forward James Neal took a shot on net that struck Marc-Andre Fleury in the mask, resulting in the mask being knocked lose and him being shaken up.
The team has yet to announce a timetable for the goaltender’s return, but it is certain that he will be missing Saturday’s game when the New York Islanders host the Penguins. It is also expected that Fleury will also miss the Pens’ game on Sunday, when they return home to square off against the Philadelphia Flyers. The reason for this injury to be more concerning is that this is not the first time Fleury has suffered a concussion this season. Back in December, he had one and missed some time due to it. With the playoffs approaching and the Penguins surging as of late, they can only hope that Fleury recovers quickly and can return as soon as possible, or at least in time for first round Stanley Cup Playoff action.
As of now with Fleury out, the Penguins will turn to Matt Murray to hold down the fort in net. Murray has served as a solid backup this season, going 5-2-1 in 8 total starts this season, having a .926 save percentage.
Main Photo:
Main Photo Caption: SUNRISE, FL – FEBRUARY 15: Olli Maatta #3 looks on as Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Pittsburgh Penguins defends the goal against the Florida Panthers at the BB&T Center on February 15, 2016 in Sunrise, Florida. The Panthers defeated the Penguins 2-1 in a shoot out. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)
