The Pittsburgh Penguins have two of the brightest young scoring stars in the league in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, but ask anyone and they will tell you that an NHL team’s success is based mostly on the goalie.
And that’s the bad news for the Penguins.
Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who had been unbeaten the last three weeks, has a sprained ankle and won’t return to the Penguins' lineup for up to two months.
Even if Fleury can return in late January, as the team is hoping, he would miss 19 games - or nearly one-quarter of the schedule.
Pittsburgh coach Michel Therrien does not expect the club to add another goaltender, which means the Penguins will go with former Vancouver backup Dany Sabourin as their starter. Ty Conklin, recalled last week from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL, becomes the backup.
"It's tough, it's tough," Therrien said of Fleury's injury. "First of all, he was playing the best hockey of the season before he was hurt. He was playing with a lot of confidence and was really sharp."
Fleury is 9-8-1 with two shutouts and a 2.90 goals-against average, but had begun playing much better before getting hurt early in the first period of a 3-2 shootout victory in Calgary last Thursday. He was hurt when he fell awkwardly outside the crease.
The 23-year-old - the No. 1 pick in the 2003 draft - has won his last four starts, allowing only four goals and making 84 saves. He hasn't lost since Nov. 21. He turned it around after being yanked from three starts this season.
All that changed 4:39 into the Penguins' shootout win over Calgary when Fleury limped off the ice.
Including that game, Fleury was 4-0-0 in his last five starts with a 0.98 GAA and a .956 save percentage.
"This is an opportunity for Dany Sabourin to prove he can establish himself in the NHL," Therrien said.
"He's been pretty solid."
Sabourin struggled Tuesday night, getting pulled after allowing five goals in two periods of an 8-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night. He is 6-5-1 with a 2.50 goals-against average.
"I'm ready, and that's why I came here," Sabourin said. "It's the job of a backup goalie to make sure you're ready for any type of situation, I think I proved I can win some games and I'm ready for another challenge."
Pittsburgh takes a 15-13-2 record into Thursday night’s game against Ottawa - bet on the game at WagerWeb.com.
Speaking of Ottawa, the Senators also will be starting their backup goalie Thursday night against Pittsburgh.
No. 1 netminder Ray Emery left in the first period of Wednesday night’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes due to soreness in his right hip.
Emery stopped the only shot he faced before leaving with 14:36 left in the period. He was replaced Martin Gerber.
Senators coach John Paddock said he expected Emery would be healthy enough to be Gerber's backup at Pittsburgh.
"I was a little bit surprised, but I knew that he wasn't right during the morning skate,” Paddock said.
"That's why he went off the ice. He had a problem with a sore right hip, and he was worried he was going to do something more serious to it."
The team's training staff worked on Emery in the dressing room after he left, and he was available in an emergency. How he feels Thursday will determine whether a goalie has to be called up.BRUINS: Goalie Manny Fernandez had knee surgery and will likely be sidelined for the rest of the season.
Fernandez originally injured the knee Jan. 20 against Dallas while playing for the Minnesota Wild. He opted not to have surgery and reinjured the knee several times before seeing his last action of last season March 6.
Fernandez came into Boston’s training camp expressing concerns about whether the knee had healed.
He started four games this season, going 2-2 with a 3.93 goals-against average and an .832 save percentage.
Fernandez, who was expected to be in a rotation with Tim Thomas, also had been battling a herniated disk in his back.
Alex Auld is 3-0 since being acquired from Phoenix last week after Thomas was hurt, but Thomas is expected to return soon.
CANADIENS: Goaltender Cristobal Huet is feeling better and could be ready to return from his pulled groin by Saturday.
Huet won't dress for Montreal’s game Thursday night against the Flyers (bet on the game at WagerWeb.com), but he will make the tripe. The 32-year-old has missed four games since pulling his groin during a 5-4 shootout loss to Nashville on Dec. 1.
"There's some stiffness, but I can extend and do everything on the ice," Huet said after a full practice on Wednesday. "On the rink, I feel sharp. I have no pain, I feel better every day."
The French goaltender will make the trip just to get in some extra practice to be ready, he hopes, for a home game Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
CANUCKS: Starting goalie Roberto Luongo could be set for an extended period on the sidelines as the Vancouver goaltender is suffering from a rib injury.
Luongo did not play in Monday's 4-2 loss at Los Angeles Kings or Wednesday’s win at Anaheim due to the injury and admitted it could be an indeterminate time before he be able to return to the lineup.
"It's been injured since last Sunday in Minnesota. The last few days, it got worse. I've been in pain all day. Not good enough to go. It hurts when I breathe, hurts when I move. It's tough to do your job," he said.
Luongo is 13-10-3 with four shutouts and fifth in the NHL with a 2.12 goal-against average and .925 save percentage.
Backup goalie Curtis Sanford is expected to carry the load in Luongo's absence. Sanford stopped 34 shots Wednesday in leading the Cancuks past the Ducks.
Sanford is 4-1 in five games with the Canucks, who face the Sharks on Thursday - bet on the game at WagerWeb.com.
"It feels good just to be able to contribute and to be relied upon to make big saves," said Sanford.
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