It is undeniable no matter what the fans of Marc-Andre Fleury say; the Penguins netminder has been solid but not spectacular this playoff season. Sure, he has shown flashes of brilliance but he has repeatedly let in soft goal after soft goal and relied on the defense to limit scoring opportunities. Well, last night Fleury stepped up his game – finally.

While Cam Ward was busy robbing the Penguins at one end of the ice and keeping the Hurricanes alive in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Fleury was putting on a clinic at the other end as well. And when the dust settled after 20 minutes of play it was Fleury who stood tall stopping all 12 shots he face while Cam Ward, the man you have to beat to beat the Canes, was only 7 of 9. Goals by Satan (1) and Malkin (7) put the Penguins up heading into the locker room.

Satan’s goal looked almost like it had been drawn up on the chalk board with Bylsma telling the much maligned winger to purposefully take a penalty then telling the Penguins to kill it flawlessly allowing then to spring Miroslav on a breakaway attempt as the penalty expired. He completely undressed Ward to give the Penguins the lead.

LaRose would finally solve Fleury halfway through the second to cut the lead to one goal but Boucher (1) extended that lead to 3-2 midway through the third. Only a late goal by Corvo and the Canes due to a silly penalty by Brooks Orpik for elbowing made the game close.

Most of the game was fast paced and up and down the ice with both teams having their chances but time and again it was Carolina that appeared outmatched in both speed and grit. Although they did have some golden opportunities that were wasted and put good pressure on Fleury at times, the defense of the Penguins smothered rebounded, cleared pucks and blocked shots. And let’s be honest, the Hurricanes were lucky to come out of the first period down only 2-0. By my count the Penguins misfired and missed the net on some half dozen or so shots that were by Ward and wide of the net before his hands even moved. They must have missed on some dozen shots altogether in the frame.

The Penguins also, once again also did an excellent job staying out of the penalty box in Game 1. A holding call against Satan (right before his opening goal) and the late call against Orpik were all that they got called for.

Now it is time to rest … and rest. Game 2 does not take place until Thursday night in Pittsburgh so there will be lots of time for both teams and the media to dissect Game 1 ad nauseum.