Kovacevic: Back off Zatkoff

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Hate to burst bubbles here, but I'm not feeling Marc-Andre Fleury for the Penguins' nod Wednesday night.

Call me crazy, but when a goaltender is asked on the eve of the Stanley Cup playoffs whether he'll be ready for Game 1 after missing two weeks to a concussion, and his response is, "I'm not even thinking about Wednesday right now," then neither should anyone else. And by the way, I did ask Fleury precisely that after he resumed practicing Monday at the Lemieux Sports Complex, and that was precisely his answer.

Not good. Sorry, but nothing about his language, body or otherwise, looked encouraging.

Even so, it was miles ahead of Matt Murray, who was nowhere to be found, also the victim of a head injury Sunday in Philadelphia.

So all signs, at least at the moment, point to Jeff Zatkoff starting the series.

Yes, the Apocalypse is upon us.



We're doomed. Finito. Four Horsemen 'n'at. All that remains is famine, pestilence, locusts, a one-year extension for 'America's Got Talent' and, of course, the Rangers in three.

Well, except for this one thing ...

"I can play a little bit in this league, you know."

Oh, that little detail. This was Zatkoff at his very best, shortly after coming off the ice Monday and just after his mass media session.

"I mean, I appreciate and respect the situation here," he continued, "but I've been in the NHL for a couple years now, and I'd like to think I've done pretty well. Really, if you look at my numbers year over year, they've gotten better."

All of that's true. In 2013-14, he was 12-6-2 with a 2.61 goals-against average and .912 save percentage. This season, before Murray was promoted to become Fleury's backup more because of Murray than anything else, Zatkoff was 4-7-1 with a 2.79 GAA and .917 save percentage. Throw out those first two measurements because they mean nothing next to save percentage, and there's proof that he's better.

Want more?

In four of those eight losses, the Penguins supported Zatkoff with two or fewer goals. In one specifically, Dec. 27 in Winnipeg, he allowed only a penalty-shot goal to Bryan Little and lost to the Jets, 1-0.

In his 14 total appearances, he held opponents to two or fewer goals nine times.

On New Year's Eve in Detroit, his 33 saves backed the Penguins' rally past the Red Wings that teammates, to a man, still credit for turning around their season.

Quite the train wreck there, huh?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdFNzS9xHMM

Oh, and on top of all that, he's the consummate team guy, having not only kept his mouth shut while being dropped to No. 3 on the depth chart but also continuing to be among the most supportive and beloved of teammates on and off the ice. Not that the Penguins or any team should need extra motivation in playoffs, but if winning for Zatkoff is on the plate, they'll eat that up, too.

"Everyone loves him in here," Phil Kessel said. "Just everyone."

Count Jim Rutherford among them. The GM openly told Zatkoff that other NHL teams were interested in acquiring him at the deadline, but he asked for Zatkoff's understanding in staying in Pittsburgh for depth. There's a reason for this: Rutherford was burned in Carolina when Cam Ward began coming down with repeated injuries, and he vowed upon taking the current job that he wouldn't allow it again. He explained. Zatkoff listened.

Now, he just might play the most important game of the year.

"I'm glad I'm here, to be honest," Zatkoff said. "All I've tried to do is be a good teammate and help my team any way I can."

And this would be one wonderful way.

"Oh, yeah. Are you kidding? And imagine all the people I could prove wrong."

• I'll go further: I don't want to see Fleury or Murray out there Wednesday.

Process that both of these young men are recovering from head injuries, with Fleury's having been confirmed publicly as a concussion, then add into it that one of them just returned and didn't look or sound right, and that the other was so far off he didn't even have a stall with his nameplate.

Who could conceivably look forward to either of these guys facing the inevitable high, hard ones the Rangers will fire?

With so little of a recovery period?

Come on. Check out this new study that shows 40 percent of NFL players show signs of permanent brain injury. The NHL can't be much different.

• This applies to all injured players, actually: Game 3 in New York isn't until next Tuesday. Fleury, Murray, Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, Olli Maatta and others could come back so much stronger if held out of these two. I realize that's sacrilege to some, but the goal is to win the Stanley Cup, which will require endurance from all those players. And this team has shown it's plenty good enough to beat anyone with or without most of those players.

The time is now to do exactly that. Take Games 1 and 2, then load up for bear.

• Malkin needs to supplant Chris Kunitz as Sidney Crosby's left winger when he returns.

For one, not taking faceoffs will lessen the strain on his shoulder.

For another, Patric Hornqvist will lessen the burden of being the high defensive forward.

And for another ... duh!

• One change that should not be made: Kris Letang and Trevor Daley can't be broken up when Maatta is back. Expect Mike Sullivan and Rick Tocchet to deploy Letang for 32-plus minutes a game. The partner's got to keep up, and Maatta, with all due respect, wasn't doing that even when healthy.

• I've got the Stars out of the West. Too much talent on hand not to succeed, and more than enough balance. Lindy Ruff has gotten the most out of Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, an absurd power play, and there's more on the back end, too, notably John Klingberg, the NHL's most underappreciated defenseman.

No reason Dallas couldn't claim the Cup from there, too. Terrific team.

• I wrote in the spring that no pitcher in the Pirates' fold looked worse or was a greater concern than Jon Niese. Eleven innings, nine runs, 10 hits and three home runs later, that hasn't exactly flown back in my face.

• Francisco Cervelli could be the next Russell Martin in more ways than one: He's off to a 10-for-22 start -- plus four walks for a .519 on-base percentage -- and he's showing a rare trait to be that catcher who can help the top of an order, in addition to being sound defensively and in game-calling.

It's possible he's already priced himself out of Pittsburgh at season's end.

• On the upside, give Neal Huntington major credit for his ability to embarrass the Yankees' Brian Cashman in stealing catchers.

• Just admit that there's at least one teeny, tiny portion of your soul that's uncomfortable with the Braves being 0-6, pretty much broke and looking like they'll lose for the next decade.

What, no?

• I've reached the point where, before reading any of our draft coverage about the Steelers, I do a search on the words 'cornerback' and 'safety.' Just for amusement, of course. Jason Mackey's coverage of the prospect visits Monday from the Rooney Complex came up with three of each. Thus, it was a productive day for the local football club.

• For anyone who watched the Masters' wild finish Sunday and was more engrossed in Jordan Spieth's collapse than Danny Willett's stirring rise up the back nine ... man, I'm sure there are generic happy pills for that somewhere. I'll always focus on the athlete doing something special, like marching through Augusta with five birdies in 11 holes, than the one having a bad day.

• I'll never profess to be an NBA expert, but for anyone suggesting that anyone other than Lionel Messi is the world's greatest athlete in any team sport ... wow, no:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwiKkOSQFbg

He's the best in the world. He has no peers in the world.

• Penguins in five. This dynamic has flipped 180 degrees.