Marc-Andre Fleury, a longtime fan of goaltending legends Ed Belfour and Patrick Roy, tied both of his idols in the record books on Sunday night.
Tomas Nosek scored the game’s only goal, and Fleury stopped 14 shots as the Vegas Golden Knights blanked the Arizona Coyotes 1-0.
With this victory, Fleury ended a three-game losing streak and tied Belfour for fourth place in NHL history with 484 career wins. Additionally, he matched Roy with 66 career shutouts, placing him 15th on the all-time list.
“Pretty big honor,” Fleury said, reflecting on the milestone. “I’ve been fortunate to play on great teams with great teammates, and I’m very lucky to be here now.”
Despite the Golden Knights ranking seventh in the NHL in goals per game, Fleury has received limited goal support in recent games. In five of his last seven starts, Vegas has scored just one goal. Since Robin Lehner’s return from a concussion, Vegas has scored 28 goals in support of Lehner but only 10 for Fleury over seven games.
“The guys have always been great to me, scoring plenty of goals and helping defensively,” Fleury said. “Tonght, we only got one, but we played really well and didn’t give them many chances.”
Nosek provided the lone goal for the Golden Knights, continuing his recent hot streak. Jonathan Marchessaiult set him up perfectly with a backhand pass, allowing Nosek to skate in and fire a wrist shot past Arizona goalie Adin Hill’s glove. Hill, who was pulled from Friday’s game after conceding five early goals, made 28 saves in a solid performance.
Nosek now has six goals and 13 points in his last 17 games, just one goal shy of tying his career-high for a season.
“He’s a quiet guy,” Marchessault said of Nosek. “But he’s been playing great for us, working hard in every zone, and becoming a real threat to opponents.”
Unlike Friday’s high-scoring affair, Sunday’s game was a tighter, more defensive battle. Both teams had scoring chances early, but strong defensive play kept Fleury and Hill out of serious trouble.
Arizona came close to tying the game, with Phil Kessel missing a prime opportunity in front of the net and Dryden Hunt hitting the post shortly after Nosek’s goal.
“We didn’t focus too much on the result but more on playing well,” Arizona forward Derick Brassard said. “It felt like a playoff game, and I think we showed some character tonight.”
Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet, who had criticized his team after Friday’s loss, acknowledged their improvement in Sunday’s game. “The guys worked hard, and we had some good opportunities. I thought we played tight.”
Vegas has now won six straight home games against Arizona and holds a 13-5-0 record in the series.
BIG HIT BY REAVES
Golden Knights forward Ryan Reaves delivered a massive hit on Arizona defenseman Jordan Gross in the first period. Reaves’ shoulder connected with Gross’ head, and the two players’ knees also collided. Gross, who did not return to the game, was listed as having suffered a lower-body injury by the Coyotes.
When asked about the hit, Tocchet declined to comment, saying only, “We all saw it. You don’t need to be a hockey expert to know.”
UP NEXT
- Arizona: Travels to Colorado on Monday to make up a postponed game from February.
- Vegas: Begins a two-game road series in Los Angeles on Monday.