Marc-Andre Fleury did not hear any whispers of concern about how he'd perform as the Penguins prepared for the Stanley Cup playoffs last spring.

That's understandable, because there weren't any.

Whispers, that is.

Concerns? There were plenty.

The folks who had them didn't bother whispering, though. Most bellowed them at decibel levels that could have drowned out a jet engine.

"I think lots of people were worried about how I'd play," Fleury said.

That was understandable because Fleury's recent history in playoffs, and other big games, had been spotty, at best.

There was a late-game puckhandling gaffe that likely cost Canada a gold medal in the 2004 world junior championships. A premature exit from the playoffs for his junior team, Cape Breton, that spring. Fleury's 0-3 playoff record in his first two postseasons with the Penguins' minor-league team in Wilkes-Barre.

Not the kind of results likely to inspire unwavering confidence.

And the raw numbers Fleury put up during the Penguins' five-game loss to Ottawa in the opening round in 2007 -- a 1-4 record, 3.76 goals-against average and .880 save percentage -- likely wouldn't do it, either. Except that those stats don't provide an accurate reflection of Fleury's work against the Senators.

"There were a couple of games last year in the Ottawa [series] when, maybe we didn't win, but he's the only reason we were even close," defenseman Rob Scuderi said.

Fleury's showing against Ottawa wasn't spectacular, but was reasonably solid. Good enough, certainly, to alleviate some of the fears about whether he can be effective in high-stakes games at this level.

Even Fleury acknowledges that, the outcome of the series aside, the experience had some positive aspects.

"I think it went all right," he said. "Ottawa was a strong team, went to the [Stanley Cup] final."

Many observers believe the Penguins are capable of doing that this year; at the very least, they're a legitimate threat to come out of an Eastern Conference that appears to be wide open. If that is to happen, though, they will need some quality performances by Fleury.

He admits to being eager for the playoffs to arrive -- "That's what you look forward to all season," he said -- and Fleury's play since returning from a high ankle sprain explains why.

He is 8-1 in nine starts, allowing more than two goals just once during that stretch. Perhaps more important, some critical facets of his game -- rebound-control, positioning and puckhandling, for example -- are significantly better than they were at the start of the season.

The technical elements of his game seem to be catching up with his enormous talent and potential.

"He's reading plays much better, and he's more in control," coach Michel Therrien said.

It's no surprise, then, that Therrien describes himself as "really confident" that Fleury is capable of leading his team on a long playoff run. Fleury's teammates appear to agree.

"He's been playing really solid of late," defenseman Darryl Sydor said. "I don't know much about goaltending, but he just looks confident in there and is moving well. He's quick and, fundamentally, he's sound."

Sydor has gone to the Stanley Cup final four times, winning twice, and appreciates the importance of strong goaltending in the playoffs as much as, if not more than, any of his teammates.

"It's huge," he said. "Your goaltenders are usually what win you the series."

Fleury understands that, of course. Just as he knows people will judge him largely on how he fares in the weeks after the regular season.

Nonetheless, his postseason goal is not a big-picture objective like proving he's a goalie with whom the Penguins can win a championship in the fairly near future, but simply to perform well in the playoff opener, whenever it is and whoever it might be against.

"Just go one game at a time," he said. "You don't want to look too far ahead."

Very logical. Very mature. Very much an indication of why his teammates aren't fretting about his big-game disappointments in other seasons, at other levels.

"It doesn't concern me, because I've seen what he's done here," Scuderi said. "I have no doubt that he's going to be just fine."