AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Fleury Turns Aside 26 In 1-0 Loss

Published on February 15, 2008 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release


Fleury stopped 26 of 27 shots he faced, but got no offensive support as the Philadelphia Phantoms posted a 1-0 win against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Friday night at the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza.

The loss dropped the Penguins to 29-19-0-3 on the year, 12 points behind the first place Phantoms (35-17-1-2) in the East Division race.

"It was a tough loss for us," said Fleury. "I was really happy to be back in Wilkes-Barre and to play a game here. But it would have been more fun with a win."

Fleury looked solid in net while playing his first regular season game in Northeast Pennsylvania since November of 2005, turning aside the first 14 shots he faced. The only blemish on his scoresheet came courtesy of Lars Jonsson, who popped home a power play goal from the right circle 13:24 into the second period. Both of the goals Fleury has allowed during his rehab assignment have come on the power play.

"I'm happy with the way that we played, disappointed for the guys," said head coach Todd Richards. "We battled, we competed. We did a lot of good things in the game.

"I think we had some opportunities in the first period that we missed on. We had a couple of three-on-twos, two-on-ones, and we weren't able to convert those. They get the first goal on a power play, and ends up being the difference in the game."

It didn't help the Wilkes-Barre cause that two of their hottest scorers were summoned to Pittsburgh just hours before game time. Chris Minard, who leads the team with 21 goals, and Connor James, who had eight points in his past 10 games, were called up to fill in gaps in the NHL Penguins lineup due to injuries. But Richards refused to use the call-ups as an excuse.

"Everybody's the same at this stage of the game," he said. "NHL teams are injured, AHL teams are injured. You're trying to find players and put players in positions to make plays."

Unlike Wednesday night, when he saw just four shots in the first 20 minutes, Fleury was challenged right from the get go against the Phantoms. He faced 13 shots in the opening frame, stopping every one of them.

"They got a couple shots, but I thought the defensemen were good at keeping the shots on the side, taking the rebounds away, so they helped me out," Fleury stated. "I haven't played in so long, so I just tried to get in the right position."

"I'm still rusty. I feel like I'm all over the place. A little touch maybe I don't have back yet. But I think [my ankle's] feeling better than last game though."

Friday was also the Wachovia Arena debut of Fleury's new white leg pads, a big change from the bright yellow blockers he had become known for.

So what was his assessment of them after their second game of use?

"I wish they could be 2-0, but it wasn't too bad a game though."

The Penguins travel to Bridgeport to take on the Sound Tigers Saturday night at 8:00pm.

Check out the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



American Hockey League Stories from February 15, 2008


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central