Marc-Andre Fleury has been ‘The Dude’ for Golden Knights

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Marc-Andre Fleury is, and forever will be, known as “Flower,” a play on the French translation of his last name.

This season, the Golden Knights goaltender was given a new nickname from teammates, one that really tied the locker room together.

“The Dude.”

That or “His Dudeness,” or “Duder,” or “El Duderino,” if you’re not into the whole brevity thing.

Fleury has been the Knights’ best player through two games of the first round of the West Division playoffs and made sure of a split in the series heading to Minnesota.

Game 3 of the best-of-seven is Thursday at Xcel Energy Center, where approximately 4,500 fans are expected to attend.

“He’s been excellent all year,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “For me, it’s not like he’s doing anything differently than he’s done all year for us. He’s played at a really high level all year, and guys are playing hard for him.”

The origin of “The Dude” nickname hasn’t been officially revealed, but it seems to stem from a comment made by Max Pacioretty after the Knights’ victory over San Jose on March 15.

Fleury made a sliding poke check on Sharks forward Evander Kane with about eight minutes to play to help preserve a 2-1 lead. When asked about the play after the game, Pacioretty responded, “That was sick. I mean, the dude is just the man. What else can you say?”

Since then, the Knights have repeatedly, albeit subtly, referred to Fleury as “The Dude” in interviews. Jonathan Marchessault slipped in the nickname after the victory at Arizona on May 1 when Fleury tied Roberto Luongo for third place on the NHL’s all-time wins list.

“It’s amazing, and, hopefully, the dude can keep on going,” Marchessault said.

Hearing “The Dude” conjures up thoughts of Jeff Bridges’ character in the 1998 cult classic “The Big Lebowski,” and it seems to fit Fleury’s personality, even if he doesn’t sip White Russians or go bowling.

He’s not “The Man,” or “The Guy” but someone more laid back and comfortable in his own skin.

That vibe helped keep the Knights loose heading into Game 2 after being shut out in the opener.

“I got so many texts (Tuesday) night of how great he was,” Wild coach Dean Evason said. “And he was.”

Fleury has stopped 63 of 65 shots in the two games (.969 save percentage) against Minnesota and posted a 0.98 goals-against average.

He came up with a handful of flashy glove saves in Game 1 before the winning goal in overtime deflected off Alec Martinez’ skate.

With the Wild carrying play in the first period Tuesday, Fleury made 17 of his 34 stops and kept the Knights within touching distance until the offense broke through.

The Wild have produced 5.26 expected goals in the series, according to NaturalStatTrick.com, but have two goals to show for it in 123:20 of action.

“He’s done it for a long time, and he’s been the best in the game at different points and still is clearly,” Evason said. “We just have to stay the course and keep believing that if we continually get those opportunities, if we continually get to the net, maybe we’ll get some bounces, get some breaks and some goals will go in.”

DeBoer went with Fleury for both games against the Wild rather than rotating Robin Lehner, as he did in the final 24 games of the regular season.

All indications are Fleury will remain in net for Game 3, and there’s no reason to go away from the three-time Stanley Cup winner until he gets into trouble in the series.

“The Dude” certainly abides.

“We’re taking this day to day,” DeBoer said. “He’s done it before, and he’s playing at a really high level. But who knows? This is day to day for us.”

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