Fleury could sit with snap of finger
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VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- It was supposed to be one of the key elements of tonight's game between the Penguins and Vancouver -- Marc-Andre Fleury of the Penguins facing Roberto Luongo of the Canucks, two goaltenders who will be vying for playing time as Canadian teammates at the Vancouver Olympics next month.
Now that matchup of goaltenders is in jeopardy.
Fleury, the Penguins' No. 1 goalie, has a broken left ring finger. It is not considered a serious injury but could keep him out of tonight's game at GM Place, which will serve as the main hockey arena for the Winter Games.
"I guess we'll see [this] morning. It was kind of sore [yesterday] morning," said Fleury, who has had three strong games on this season-long five-game road trip, helping the Penguins to go into the final stop tonight 3-1.
- Matchup: Penguins at Vancouver Canucks, 10:08 p.m. today, GM Place, Vancouver, British Columbia.
- TV/Radio: FSN Pittsburgh, WXDX-FM (105.9).
- Probable goaltenders: John Curry for Penguins. Roberto Luongo for Canucks.
- Penguins: Are 1-6 vs. Vancouver since 2001-02. ... RW Tyler Kennedy has a goal in each of past two games. ... C Evgeni Malkin has no goals in past 11 games.
- Canucks: Have lost 3 in row after 4-game winning streak. ... C Henrik Sedin led NHL with 64 points through yesterday. ... C Ryan Kesler has 8 points in past 7 games.
- Hidden stat: Canucks have outscored opponents in third period by 25 goals.
Fleury had soreness and swelling yesterday and did not practice with teammates at GM Place. He got hurt at 7:53 of the second period of Thursday's 3-2 victory at Edmonton while making a save on Ryan Potulny's slap shot.
"Weird. It doesn't happen very often. It just kind of squeezed between my glove and my pads and got me in a bad spot," said Fleury, who had the bloody finger wrapped and finished the game.
If Fleury can't start, it's likely that John Curry will. He was recalled Monday from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to fill in as the backup because Brent Johnson has an undisclosed injury. Johnson is eligible to come off injured reserve today but has not practiced.
Coach Dan Bylsma said Johnson is day to day and "moving forward" with his recovery.
If Fleury and Johnson aren't available to at least back up Curry, the Penguins will have to fill that void on their roster.
"We've got several different scenarios going on," Bylsma said.
Those could include promoting Brad Thiessen, a first-year pro who signed with the Penguins in April after being a first-team All-American and Hobey Baker Award finalist at Northeastern University; or bringing in another goaltender by trade or free-agent signing.
First Published January 16, 2010 12:00 am
