Golden Knights’ Marc-Andre Fleury showing no signs of fatigue
Sunday was an important day for goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury as the Golden Knights didn’t practice following a grueling stretch of five games in seven days.
“I didn’t do anything yesterday,” he joked after Monday’s practice at City National Arena. “I don’t think I even left the house.”
He certainly earned the day off.
Fleury, who turns 34 on Wednesday, recorded back-to-back home shutouts Friday and Saturday as the Knights notched divisional wins over the Flames and Sharks. He has won four straight starts and is 12-8-1 with a .913 save percentage and a 2.33 goals-against average.
He’s also tied for the league lead among goaltenders with 21 games played, which is why the off day was so important.
Fleury is on pace to start 69 games this season, which would be the most of his 15-year career. He has played in 67 games three times, never making more than 65 starts. Fleury was limited to 46 regular-season starts last year because of an extended absence for a concussion.
Edmonton’s Cam Talbot, one of the busier goalies in the league over the last several seasons, led the NHL with 67 starts last year.
Fleury is expected to be in net again Tuesday when the Knights play the Blackhawks at United Center in Chicago at 5 p.m.
He’s embracing the increased workload.
“I like to play,” he said before the team left for Chicago. “They tell me when I play and I just go play. I think I just try to be smart on those practice days. Maybe I’ll take one off here and there. I try to eat well, sleep when I can and try to stay healthy for the games.”
He certainly hasn’t shown any signs of fatigue. The back-to-back shutouts came at the end of a stretch of five games in seven days in four different cities. He did sit out the second game of a back-to-back situation Monday in Calgary and the Knights were walloped 7-2 by the Flames.
Coach Gerard Gallant typically goes with backup Malcolm Subban in the second game when the Knights play on consecutive days, but elected to let Fleury start Friday and Saturday as the team didn’t have to travel and it was a night game following a day game.
He said the decision was based more on those favorable conditions than avoiding playing Subban, who is 0-4 on the season with a 4.02 goals-against average and .859 save percentage.
“We’re still very confident in (Subban),” Gallant said Monday. “He hasn’t had a good start to the year, but most of the goals he’s given up weren’t bad goals. We’ve still got confidence in him, so there’s nothing new with him. Fleury’s just played really well so it’s hard to keep him out of the net right now and that’s what your team wants. You want to win hockey games, and if a guy is playing that well, it’s hard to keep him out of the net.”
Gallant said Fleury and goaltender coach Dave Prior communicate about how the veteran goalie is feeling and when he needs to get rest. Fleury, however, conceded he’s not likely to ask out of the lineup.
“It gets to be a grind after awhile for sure,” he said. “It’s a long season with a lot of games and a lot of travel, but you just have to deal with it and be smart about it. I think I’m a little more experienced and I know my body a little better now so I can take care of that. You just know how to deal with certain situations better. Maybe I don’t waste as much energy on the ice as I used to. There’s just small things to try to stay fresh throughout the season.”
More Golden Knights: Follow at reviewjournal.com/GoldenKnights and @HockeyinVegas on Twitter.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.
Three storylines
1 Keep it rolling. The Knights have won three straight games and four of the last five to start climbing in the Pacific Division standings. "It's headed in the right direction," coach Gerard Gallant said. "We've got to keep playing the same way and it all starts with good defensive hockey and keeping the puck out of your net."
2 Patching it up. Several factors have contributed to the Knights recent run of success, including Nate Schmidt's return and Marc-Andre Fleury's great play in net. Max Pacioretty's emergence from a scoring slump has to be considered, too. He has six goals in the last five games and has scored twice in two of the last three contests.
3 Seize the opportunity. Winning on the road is never easy, but the Knights need to take advantage of opportunities against struggling teams. The Blackhawks have won just three times in 14 games over the past month. Vegas went 3-0 against Chicago last season, including a 5-4 win in its only trip to United Center.
David Schoen Las Vegas Review-Journal
