Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury had a night to remember on Saturday, securing a 3-0 shutout victory against his former team, the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In his second return to Pittsburgh as a member of the Golden Knights, Fleury turned aside all 29 shots he faced, making sure it was a much better performance than his last trip when he allowed five goals.
“Last time I was here, I let in five,” Fleury said. “I wanted to make sure that didn’t happen again. I’m just happy it was a better showing.”
The win was Fleury’s 445th career victory, tying him with Terry Sawchuk for seventh place on the NHL’s all-time wins list. It also marked Fleury’s 57th career shutout.
The Golden Knights, who have now won four of their last five games, were led by Paul Stastny’s power-play goal in the second period. William Karlsson and Mark Stone added empty-net goals in the final minutes to seal the victory.
Fleury made some key stops, including a cross-crease save on Juuso Riikola’s power-play chance in the third period. Pittsburgh generated several chances during another power play, but Fleury stood tall. Penguins forward Zach Aston-Reese even hit the crossbar earlier in the period.
“I just tried to read the play,” Fleury said. “They like to find guys across the crease. I got lucky with a couple of posts.”
The Penguins were playing without six key players, including five of their top nine forwards and a defenseman from their top pairing. Forwards Evgeni Malkin, Alex Galchenyuk, Nick Bjugstad, and Bryan Rust remained on injured reserve. Jared McCann and defenseman Brian Dumoulin were late scratches for the game.
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby acknowledged Fleury’s performance: “We had some good chances, but (Fleury) made some big saves. We hit a couple of posts. Usually, those go in.”
Fleury, who was selected first overall by Pittsburgh in 2003, spent 13 seasons with the Penguins and helped them win three Stanley Cups before being taken by Vegas in the 2017 expansion draft. Fans welcomed Fleury with loud cheers as he hit the ice for pregame warmups, and he shared light moments with former teammates, including Matt Murray, Kris Letang, and Sidney Crosby.
“It’s always fun to come back,” Fleury said, reflecting on the warm reception from the Pittsburgh fans.
The Golden Knights took the lead in the first period after Penguins forward Zach Aston-Reese was called for goaltender interference. Paul Stastny converted a one-timer from Cody Glass at 3:48 of the second period, scoring his fourth goal in five games, which proved to be all the Golden Knights needed thanks to Fleury’s dominant play.
“I was so excited he got the shutout,” Stastny said of Fleury. “He earned it. He deserved it.”
Game Notes:
- Mark Stone extended his point streak to five games with his sixth goal of the season.
- The Golden Knights reached their 100th win in 173 regular-season games, becoming one of only three teams to achieve 100 wins in under 200 games.
- Head coach Gerard Gallant recorded his 100th win with the Golden Knights.
- Penguins forward Jake Guentzel’s seven-game point streak, the longest of his career, ended.
- Vegas defenseman Jake Bischoff made his NHL debut.
Up Next:
- Golden Knights: Continue their three-game road trip on Monday in Philadelphia.
- Penguins: Begin a three-game road trip on Tuesday in Florida.
