Pittsburgh, PA – Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma has named veteran goaltender Tomas Vokoun the starter for Thursday's critical Game 5 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal against the New York Islanders.
Based on the way incumbent Marc-Andre Fleury began the playoffs, a goaltending change didn't seem likely, with the 2003 No. 1 overall pick making 26 saves in a 5-0 victory in the series opener.
However, he has since resembled the player that struggled mightily in last year's first round, when he surrendered a whopping 26 goals as the Penguins were ousted in six games by the Philadelphia Flyers.
Fleury was tagged by the Islanders for four goals in Games 2 and 3 before allowing six goals on 24 shots in Tuesday's setback that evened this series.
The 36-year-old Vokoun is 3-8 with a 2.47 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage in 11 career playoff games, all with the Nashville Predators. Game 5 will be his first postseason action since 2007.
Vokoun had a 0.90 GAA while going 3-0-0 in four games against the Islanders this season.
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