Fleury gets 2nd win of season for Penguins

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

Marc-Andre Fleury wanted to leave his recent troubles behind, relax and have fun. The result was a rare victory this season and a milestone.

The embattled Fleury made 15 saves in his best performance of the season and the Pittsburgh Penguins won for only the third time in nine games, 5-1 over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night.

The franchise goalie who backstopped Pittsburgh to the 2009 Stanley Cup title, Fleury earned his 150th career win, but only the second in nine starts this season. He started and finished only one of the previous five games, temporarily losing his starting job to backup Brent Johnson.

“I don’t think technically I did anything different,” said Fleury, who was 1-6 and hadn’t won in regulation before Friday. “But maybe I was a little more relaxed. I tried to not worry too much and just go out there play hockey. It was fun, fun to win at the end.”

Pascal Dupuis, Alex Goligoski, Max Talbot, Sidney Crosby and Deryk Engelland scored for Pittsburgh, which had won only two of its first seven games at Consol Energy Center.

Steven Stamkos scored his NHL-high 15th goal for Tampa Bay. The Lightning have lost five of six.

“He played great tonight,” Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. “He had some big saves and stayed tall. It was a great game for Marc-Andre Fleury.”

Fleury was boosted by a strong defensive effort by the Penguins. Pittsburgh allowed only 11 even-strength shots. But he also made some key saves, stopping Martin St. Louis as he was in alone during the second period, and getting his left leg out to stop Adam Hall on a rebound.