Who is that masked man?
He may not be Tom Barrasso, but the individual manning the pipes for the Pittsburgh Penguins is starting to build quite a fan base among the team’s faithful and for good reason. Ty Conklin, a 31-year old journeyman, has not only given the Pens a solid replacement for regular starter Marc-Andre Fleury while he nurses an injury, but he may have given the former number one overall pick some serious competition.
In 11 starts since taking over for the man most thought would fill in for Fleury, Dany Sabourin, Conklin is a perfect 10-0 in regulation games with two shutouts. In his one loss, which came against Atlanta on Jan. 12, Conklin stopped 36-of-38 shots through three regulation periods and the overtime period.
Like Barrasso, Conklin also sports number 35 and is American born, which has become a popular trend in the NHL with the rise of talented net-minders like Buffalo’s Ryan Miller and the Islanders’ Rick DiPietro.
During his amazing 11-game stretch, Conklin has been arguably the best goalie in the league. He has a goals against average (GAA) of 1.72, a .949 save percentage and has faced 390 shots.
Though his numbers are a little skewed when compared to Fleury’s, who played in 21 games, has a 9-8 record and has logged 379 minutes more than Conklin’s, they are starting to raise more than a few eye brows.
Fleury’s GAA is a higher-than-average 2.90 and his save percentage is barely above .902, which leads me to the point that with this mishmash of statistics and numbers, Fleury’s job shouldn’t automatically be given back when he returns from a knee injury.
Even if Conklin’s GAA rises above 2.00, which it almost certainly will, and he (gasp)
loses a regulation decision, the wins and losses simply don’t lie. Also, if Pittsburgh can stay atop the Atlantic Conference of the Eastern Division, which they were at as of Jan. 15, a change in net could throw off what has become a winning on-ice chemistry.
Oh, and just in case you’re wondering what Conklin is like against a big time barrage, in a win over the Rangers on Jan. 14, the former Edmonton Oiler, Columbus Blue Jacket and Buffalo Sabre stopped a whopping 43 shots in a 4-1 win.
Yep, it sure is good to have number 35 back between the pipes.