‘Our defensive game was outstanding’: Golden Knights, Marc-Andre Fleury blank Canucks

By Justin Emerson

Sunday, March 3, 2019 | 5:26 p.m.

There is no such a thing as an easy shutout in the NHL, but Marc-Andre Fleury’s league-leading eighth on Sunday was far from his most strenuous.

The Golden Knights’ goalie faced 19 shots two more than his season-low, and turned away the only four high-danger scoring chances the Vancouver Canucks mustered in Vegas’ 3-0 win at T-Mobile Arena.

“The more boring of a night he has, the better I feel when I walk away from the rink,” Vegas defenseman Nate Schmidt said. “When he’s sleeping back there, I feel like I’m doing my job.”

Only four times in Fleury’s career has he recorded a shutout with fewer saves than the 19 he had Sunday, with the last coming on New Year’s Day in a 17-save shutout against the Kings.

That’s a testament to the defense in front of him. The Golden Knights played most of the game in the Vancouver zone, but when the Canucks did enter the Vegas end, the Golden Knights kept them out of the dangerous areas.

“The defense, the forwards, everybody came back in our zone helping out,” Fleury said. “Blocked a lot of shots, blocked a lot of passes, took the rebounds away. It’s all the little things that help me make my job a little easier tonight.”

Vancouver had 30 unblocked shot attempts, and of those, just eight came from between the faceoff dots.

“Our defensive game was outstanding today,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “It was probably the best of the year.”

It was a superb performance on both ends of the ice for the Golden Knights. The 19 shots allowed is two more than their season-low, and their 48 shots was five fewer than their season-high. Max Pacioretty, Ryan Carpenter and Reilly Smith all scored, and Vegas won its fourth in a row.

Oftentimes, the Golden Knights need Fleury to be at his best. When the defense in front of him allows 30 or more shots to get through, Fleury has helped the team to an 8-3-2 record. So the players like when he doesn’t have to steal one, and they can make his job easier.

“It’s fun not needing him in a game,” said Schmidt, who had a team-high five blocked shots. “He makes some great saves for us, but it’s nice to know our group is playing well enough to keep everything out to the outside, keep the grade-As to a minimum.”