BOSTON -- Under any other circumstances, Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tomas Vokoun would be a hero. Friday, he just wasn't heroic enough.
With Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask posting a .985 save percentage and two shutouts in their four-game sweep in the Eastern Conference Final, Vokoun's performance wasn't enough to allow the Penguins to reach their goal of the Stanley Cup Final.
"Tomas, I thought, was two goals short of brilliant, two goals short of Tuukka Rask in these two games," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said after a 1-0 loss in Game 4 ended Pittsburgh's season. "He was great. Not as many saves as Rask in Game 3, but he was equally up to the task, and he was again tonight. I thought he played outstanding. It was dueling goaltenders there for a lot for Games 3 and 4."
After replacing Marc-Andre Fleury as the Penguins' starter in Game 5 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Vokoun gave Bylsma what he was looking for from his goaltender: a chance to win.
Vokoun had a 6-5 record, a 2.01 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage in 11 games. He allowed a combined total of three goals in Games 3 and 4 but came up on the short end of a 2-1 double-OT loss Wednesday before losing a heartbreaker two nights later.
"We lost; obviously it's a shock," Vokoun said. "You go to the series, you want to win. I don't think words can describe it. You go through the season with a team like we had and it's very disappointing. I really don't know what to say, it's a tough moment, and unfortunately for Pittsburgh only one team can win and that's not going to be us."
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