Jeff Zatkoff gets Game 1 start for Penguins, Fleury still out

In our preview for the Pittsburgh Penguins’ series against the New York Rangers, we made this one of our key questions:

“Is Marc-Andre Fleury past his concussion worries, and if he’s not can Matt Murray work his way back from injury as an insurance policy?"

The answer, at least for Game 1 on Wednesday night: No and no.

Jeff Zatkoff, 28, is in goal for the Penguins in Game 1 in Pittsburgh, as Fleury apparently isn’t over his concussion issues.

Zatkoff was last seen on April 9, stopping 22 of 24 shots in a relief appearance for the Penguins in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers. He had 14 games this season, 11 of them starts, and he went 4-7-1 with a 2.79 GAA and a .917 save percentage.

He’s never appeared in a playoff game.

Tristan Jarry, 20, will be the backup. He played 33 games with Wilkes-Barre Scranton this season.

Said Coach Mike Sullivan, via Pens Inside Scoop:

"This team has established an identity for itself and has played to its strengths for a long time. There’s a belief in the room that if we play a certain way, we give our team the best chance to win. Regardless of who we move in and out of the lineup, that will never change."

Fleury was a game-time decision, according to coach Sullivan before the game. But he was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate, which usually indicates he’d start. Was that gamesmanship? Did he suffer a setback from the concussion he suffered on March 31?

Whatever the case, this is a game-changer for the Penguins. Could it end up being a series-changer too?

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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