Golden Knights continue to rotate goalies on back-to-backs

LOS ANGELES — The Golden Knights have rotated goaltenders six of the seven times they’ve played games on back-to-back days.

And that’s the way coach Gerard Gallant — or more specifically goaltending coach Dave Prior — prefers to operate.

The Knights saved Marc-Andre Fleury for Thursday’s showdown against Los Angeles at Staples Center, a day after Malcolm Subban made 27 saves in a 4-1 victory at Anaheim.

“You don’t want people getting tired,” Gallant said after the Knights morning skate. “Dave Prior handles our goaltending, and he makes up the schedule. He looks at it, and he changes it daily. I go with what Dave says, and Dave, he gets a good feel from the goaltenders.”

Subban has a record of 9-2 in 12 appearances and ranks third in the NHL in goals-against average at 2.18.

His performance has allowed Gallant and Prior to keep Fleury fresh after he was sidelined two months with a concussion.

Maxime Lagace is the only Knights goaltender to start both games of a back-to-back (at Toronto on Nov. 6; at Montreal on Nov. 7).

“We’re going to need everybody to be a big part of our team if we’re going to have success,” Gallant said. “With the two-goaltender rotation, when you have to do it, it’s a perfect example. I think most teams that are successful, they’ve got two goalies going.”

Brown milestone

Kings forward Dustin Brown, who played in his 1,000th career game Dec. 21, was honored in a pregame ceremony.

Brown, 33, is in his 14th season with Los Angeles after being drafted 13th overall in 2003. He was the Kings’ captain in 2014 when they won their second Stanley Cup in three seasons.

Brown is the 19th active player with more than 1,000 career NHL appearances and is No. 3 on the Kings’ all-time list of games played (1,002) behind Dave Taylor and Luc Robitaille.

All-Star votes

Knights forward James Neal was third in the latest NHL All-Star fan vote for the Pacific Division, while Fleury ranked fourth.

The four top vote-getters by division – regardless of position – will be captains for the game Jan. 28 in Tampa, Florida. Fans have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern time Monday to vote.

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.