When the Penguins signed Brent Johnson to be Marc-Andre Fleury’s backup three years ago, they knew what they were getting. He was a reserve goalie his whole career, who had 111-94-12 record and a .903 save percentage. You can’t ask for much more out of a backup tender.
And the Pens didn’t have to; in his first year in the Burgh, Johnny started 15 games and went 10-6-1 while allowing 2.76 goals a game and stopping 91% of the shots he faced. Last year, when Fleury slipped out of the gate, Johnson was there to keep the Pens relevant. He went 8-4-2 to start the year and only allowed more than two goals twice.
Then it happened. 41 seconds away from his second shutout of the year and ninth win, Johnny decided to go toe-to-toe with the Isles’ Rich DiPietro. Since DiPietro’s jaw is made of glass, Johnny ended the fight with one punch…and the knockout has been hurting him ever since.
His next game, Johnny gave up seven goals to the same Islanders team he shutout a week earlier, and the Pen...
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February 06, 2012
