Tomas Vokoun chased by Bruins in wild 1st period of Game 2

Pittsburgh Penguins Coach Dan Bylsma gave Tomas Vokoun the start in Game 2 against the Boston Bruins after contemplating a switch back to Marc-Andre Fleury.

Just 16:31 into the first period, the switch was made.

Vokoun was pulled after giving up three goals on 12 shots, as Fleury re-entered the players for the first time since May 7.

The Bruins led the Penguins 4-1 after a wild first period on Monday night, holding a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Final.

It all started with this Brad Marchand goal just 28 seconds into the game, after a Sidney Crosby turnover:

The onslaught continued with a Nathan Horton goal at 14:37, followed by David Krejci’s eighth of the playoffs just 1:54 later.

That was the end for Vokoun.

Brandon Sutter gave the Penguins brief life at 19:26 of the first, beating Tuukka Rask on a manageable shot. But Brad Marchand’s snipe 25 seconds later gave the Bruins the 4-1 lead.

If Fleury was going to get back into this series, after his sieve-like performance against the Islanders landed him on the bench, it was going to either take the Penguins staring into the abyss of a must-win situation or an implosion by Vokoun in a game.

Both may have happened in that first period.

It’s a shame for Vokoun, who covered for his team’s lapses so often in the previous two rounds. In Game 2, the mistakes were too glaring and Vokoun didn’t have an answer for them.