FanHouse MarcAndre Fleury

WASHINGTON -- Just a couple of minutes into the second period of Wednesday night's big hockey game at the raucous arena here nicknamed The Phone Booth, let's just say the line went dead. All of a sudden, you could barely hear a thing, except for that scraping sound that metal blades make sliding across the ice.

At this particular point, they were the skates laced to the feet -- the clay feet, as it turns out -- of Simeon Varlamov, the young goalie for the hometown Capitals. He was skating to the swinging door of his team's bench, head down, and would not come back. A fourth puck had just screamed past him and into the back of the net

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Ty Conklin lost in a shootout today against San Jose, but that was after he stopped 36 of 37 shots in yet another performance that defied his expectations and biography. That's because the biography for the Pittsburgh goalie has been rewritten, even if his expectations have remained curiously low. Despite a 16-4-5 record, along with a 2.25 GAA and a .929 save percentage entering today's game, there's still a sense that the floor is going to fall out from under him and Marc Andre-Fleury will return as the "rightful" No. 1 goalie for the Penguins.

Fleury was recalled from an injury rehab stint in the AHL this weekend, and it's assumed that he'll be back between the pipes this week as the Penguins play three road games in five days. His former Quebec Major Junior Hockey League coach Pascal Vincent told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that competition from Conklin and adversity from injury could push him to finally become the unquestioned No. 1 keeper Pittsburgh's been waiting for him to become. But writer Rob Rossi offered a different scenario:

Fleury is back. But coach Michel Therrien's past precedent suggests he will ride Conklin through the final weeks of the regular season and into the playoffs -- casting doubt upon Fleury's future with the Penguins. His contract expires July 1. The Penguins retain his rights and could match any offer he receives as a restricted free agent. "The plan is for him to be here for a long period of time," general manager Ray Shero said. "I don't see that changing."

Your FanHouse buddies Wyshynski and Mirtle contributed to the surreal trial of MAF vs. Ty Conklin over on The Pensblog last week, and the people have spoken: ConkBlock should remain the starter. As I said to those knuckleheads: I've begrudgingly become a Conklin believer. He's gotten better over the last 24 games, he fits well within the Penguins' system, and above all else: He's earned it. Let that human rebound machine sit on the pine and get a good glimpse of what confidence and leadership from the crease looks like.