The Islanders will see a new goalie between the pipes for the Penguins. Yesterday, Pittsburgh coach
Dan Bylsma announced that he was making a change in net. Stanley Cup winner
Marc-Andre Fleury will sit tonight in favor of Czech vet
Tomas Vokoun. The 36-year old performed well against the Isles during the regular season, going 3-0-0 while posting a miniscule 0.90 GAA and .970 save percentage in four appearances.
Despite having a respectable NHL career that’s included 700 career games, Vokoun doesn’t have much postseason experience. He’ll be making his 12th appearance tonight in a crucial Game Five with the first round series tied. His previous 11 postseason games came with Nashville where he went 3-8 with a 2.47 GAA and .922 save percentage. Astonishingly, it’ll be his first start since ’07.
“We brought Tomas Vokoun in to play big games for us and be a goaltender we can count on to go in and play big games. He’s done that this year for us,” noted Bylsma following team practice Wednesday.
After spending an injury riddled campaign with rival Washington, Vokoun had solid numbers in his first season in the steel city. Over 20 games, he was 13-4-0 with a 2.45 GAA, .919 save percentage and three shutouts. He’s a two-time All-Star both with the Predators and a bronze medalist (’06 Czech Republic).
The Islanders come in with the same strategy. They’ve proven they can play with the Pens. An aggressive physical attack has put them in position for a potential upset. All the pressure is on the East’s top seed to hold serve. In tie series, Game Fives are usually vital to who advances. It’ll be interesting to see how both clubs approach it. Each side has won in the opponent’s building. Expect the high powered Pens to come out strong the first 10 minutes. It very well could come down to who can stop the puck. Isles’ starter Evgeni Nabokov hasn’t been strong either but made timely saves to allow his team to even it up. Special teams are crucial. In the games they’ve won, the Isles have stayed out of the penalty box.
“We’ve got a lot of heart, we’ve got a great group, we never give up, and we’ve got a great goaltender,” Isles’ captain Mark Streit said Tuesday after his two goals and assist led them to a 6-4 victory. “And this place, right now, it’s great to play, and we want to come back here a few more times.“
Considering how Game Four ended, the intensity will be there from the opening shift. These teams have developed a disdain for each other. Discipline remains a key. The Pens lost their heads Tuesday, showing frustration. We’ll see how they respond.
The Islanders will be without top pair defenseman Andrew MacDonald. MacDonald left Game Four with an upper body injury. Unfortunately for his team, he suffered a broken hand and is expected out for the rest of the playoffs. It looks like Islander coach Jack Capurano will insert veteran Radek Martinek. MacDonald teamed with Travis Hamonic and logged the most minutes this season. Replacing him will be challenging. Hamonic dropped the gloves at the end of Game Four with Evgeni Malkin. Malkin was said to be banged up. But we’ll know soon enough.
They drop the puck after 7 PM at Consol Energy Center.
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