A 2-4-1 start for the month of December is definitely not what the Pens had in mind.
Not to make excuses, but seven games in eleven days is a big enough test for any team. Dany Sabourin started off looking like Ty Conklin and quickly transitioned back to a .500 netminder. Rookie John Curry got a few starts, saved a game against the Islanders when Sabourin was pulled and tallied two NHL wins of his own. All in all, a moderate effort from two guys who didn't expect to see all that much ice time.
Now there is at least some positive news coming out of Pitt - Marc-Andre Fleury will return in net against the Thrashers Thursday night. For the past 13 games Fleury has been sidelined with what was previously mentioned as your typical NHL "undisclosed injury." Now reports are saying it was a groin pull all along, something no goalie should ignore and try to rush back from. Take for example Roberto Luongo, who after pulling his groin last month against the Pens looked to be on his way back. Weeks after the injury, he suffered another setback by tweaking it in practice.
So, unless Fleury tweaks it in practice or finds some other way of getting injured before Thursday night (these are the Pens, remember?), we can expect him back against Atlanta.
Good news? Yes, probably some of the best to hit the Penguins in a while. Unfortunately the team has gone 1-2-1 against division rivals so far this month, so perhaps an earlier return would've been more welcomed. But as I mentioned before, as long as Fleury is 100% and didn't risk anything by coming back early I suspect the Pens will turn things around for the remainder of the month.