Ty Conklin, pack your bags … You’ve got an NHL bench to be warming in 48 hours!
With all the buzz in Vancouver about Sidney Crosby playing against the Canucks, a new minor twist has appeared in the form of former Canuck backup Dany Sabourin. Pittsburgh Penguins starter Marc-Andre Fleury, who has faced a lot of attention for his sub-par play this season with a 2.92GAA and .908 save percentage, was injured five minutes into the game with Calgary and was replaced by the aforementioned Dany Sabourin, who managed to make 24 of 26 saves before guiding the Penguins to a shootout win over the Flames.
But what’s more surprising than Fleury’s play this season has been Sabourin’s; and while Sabourin by no means has showed enough play to de-throne Fleury from the starter role, he has remained competitive with the Quebec goaltender and has already got more starts and more wins than he did all of last season with the Vancouver Canucks. ‘Sabu’ is now 5-4-1 this year with a 2.38GAA and .913 save percentage, which is better than Fleury’s statistics.
So here’s the deal: We’re scrapping this whole Sid The Kid in Vancouver business. That’s old news. We need something fresh, and I know how to create freshness in this town: “Luongo vs. Sabourin”. It screams ‘big game’. Here’s Dany Sabourin’s chance to earn a monumental win against one of the best goaltenders in the NHL and the guy who only let him start six games last season. Come to think of it, Luongo never really re-paid Sabourin after his huge performance in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup semifinals against the Ducks…
But in all seriousness, I had no problem with Dany Sabourin last year, and I’m happy that he’s enjoying some success in moderation. This is my second Dany Sabourin-featured post, and, while Sabourin will never reach elite status among goaltenders, he has at least a glimmer of an opportunity to show up both the Vancouver Canucks and the now-injured Marc-Andre Fleury.
