Fleury Returns But Penguins Lose to Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning-Pittsburgh Penguins NHL eastern Conference Final is getting interesting. After four games, it was tied 2-2 with no team scoring more than four goals and no one winning by more than two, plus a game had gone into overtime. Game 5 was in Pittsburgh on May 22nd, and Marc-Andre Fleury was starting in goal for the Penguins for the first time since March 31st. Fleury had been out with an injury since then, but did come in to Game 4 in relief of Matt Murray and had seven saves and no goals allowed in the May 20th 4-3 loss to the Lightning.

Pittsburgh opened the scoring on a Brian Dumoulin goal with 0.7 seconds left in the first period. Patric Hornqvist scored a minute and a half into the second period to put the Penguins up 2-0. But the Lightning stormed back to tie it on goas by Alex Killhorn and Nikita Kucherov. But another Chris Kunitz put Pittsburgh back into the lead with a goal with 50 seconds left in the second period.

Kucherov, who is having a great post season, scored his second goal of the night in the third period to tie it up. It was his 11th post season goal, which leads the league. It was 3-3 at the end of regulation. Just 53 seconds into overtime, a Jason Garrison shot bounced off Tyler Johnson’s back and into the net for the game winner.

The Lightning were held to just 25 shots, but four of them went in, which means Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan will have to decide if he wants a somewhat rusty Fleury in goal versus Matt Murray, who had been doing a good job until the third period of Game 4. Fleury’s experience will probably get him the nod over the rookie Murray, but if Fleury stumbles, we figure Sullivan will not hesitate to go to Murray in an elimination game.

Game 6 is in Tampa on May 24th.