Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Fleury’s shutout performance bodes well for Golden Knights

more vgk

Steve Marcus

Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) makes a save during Game 1 of an NHL hockey first-round play-off series against the Los Angeles Kings in T-Mobile Arena Wednesday, April 11, 2018.

Midway through the second period of a playoff game, with a record-setting crowd screaming at the top of its collective lungs and Kings’ forwards barreling toward him, Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury decided to have a little fun.

The veteran netminder turned a routine save into a circus act, juggling the puck on the tape of his stick twice before casually gloving it to freeze play.

It was one of many dazzling plays Fleury made during his shutout performance, as he led the Golden Knights to a 1-0 win in the first playoff game in franchise history Wednesday night at T-Mobile Arena.

Vegas Golden Knights vs LA Kings in Game 1

A sold-out crowd wait for the start of Game 1 of an NHL hockey first-round play-off series with the Vegas Golden Knights against the Los Angeles Kings in T-Mobile Arena Wednesday, April 11, 2018. Launch slideshow »

Fleury was just being his amiable, carefree self, but he unintentionally sent a message to the rest of his team.

“It’s calming. It is, really calming,” forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare said. “On the bench I’m thinking, ‘OK this guy is having fun,’ and it shows how confident he is.”

His 30-save performance earned Fleury his 11th career postseason shutout, and 63rd playoff win.

“I felt great and my teammates were great also,” Fleury said. “They helped me out a lot by blocking shots and grabbing guys in front of the net to make my job easier.”

When General Manager George McPhee and owner Bill Foley called Fleury’s name during last June’s expansion draft, this is the type of moment they had in mind. No one expected it to be this season, but a Stanley Cup-winning goalie like Fleury can single-handedly carry a team to postseason wins.

Fleury wasn’t alone tonight, as the Golden Knights got production from all four forward lines and all three defensive pairs, but he stopped every shot he faced and if the opposition doesn’t score, they can’t win.

“He was great,” said defenseman Shea Theodore, who scored the game’s only goal 3:26 into the contest. “(Fleury) was solid all night and it’s good to have a confident guy like that in front of the net, and he’s fun to play in front of. He’s a playoff guy and has tons of experience. That’s something that will help us out throughout this playoff run.”

The game was the definition of playoff hockey, with more than double the number of hits (127) as shots on goal (58). It’s the type of hockey Fleury lives for.

“We goalies like low scoring games like that,” Fleury said. “That’s the beauty of it. People always say they want more goals in games, but that was a 1-0 game and I thought it was exciting and fun to play.”

Fleury wasn’t the only goalie with a spectacular night. Jonathan Quick stopped 27 of the 28 shots he faced, and never saw the only shot that beat him thanks to a great screen by the Golden Knights.

“One-on-one with the goalies nowadays the goalie is going to have the edge, except maybe with the top players,” Bellemare said. “If you don’t have guys in front, and if the goalies see the puck there’s no chance it goes in.”

Fleury’s impact stretched further than his 30 saves. He was an integral part of stopping the Kings’ offensive attack by swooping behind the net to intercept nearly every dump-in attempt. His ability to play the puck swapped bruising battles in the corner for simple passes to a defenseman, who started the offensive rush the other way.

He also halted several offensive attacks with a simple poke-check of his stick, coolly lifting the puck out of danger.

T-Mobile Arena was the loudest it's ever been, with a franchise-record 18,479 in attendance.

“It was great,” Fleury said. “You get a little rush going right away when you step on the ice. The building was rocking and, like all season, the fans have shown tremendous support.”

The Kings did everything they could to knock Fleury off his game. Kyle Clifford got into a tussle with Fleury after the whistle on one play, Dustin Brown was called for goalie interference after landing on Fleury, and at one point his mask was ripped off at the bottom of a pile.

Fleury’s ability to remain calm while everything around him is chaos is what makes him special, particularly in the playoffs. If the Golden Knights are to continue this playoff run, it will be on his shoulders.

Wednesday night proved he's capable of carrying them.

“It has been like this the whole season, and now we show again how we can reach another level,” Bellemare said. “All we can do in front of him is strive to be at his level.”

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy