Golden Knights’ Marc-Andre Fleury named to NHL All-Star team
Updated January 2, 2019 - 7:26 pm
Marc-Andre Fleury was selected to his fourth NHL All-Star team and second with the Golden Knights on Wednesday.
The 34-year-old goaltender was the only player selected from the Knights to play in the four-team tournament between divisions on Jan. 26 at SAP Center in San Jose, California.
Fleury leads the league with 23 victories, 37 starts and six shutouts. No other goaltender has more than three shutouts. He has a 23-10-4 record, .912 save percentage and 2.48 goals-against average.
All-Star Weekend will begin with the All-Star Skills event Jan. 25.
Fleury also made the All-Star team last season, along with then-teammate James Neal. The Knights’ Gerard Gallant coached the Pacific Division team. Fleury won the shootout competition when he stopped 14 consecutive shots, then helped the Pacific Division to a win in the tournament.
Fleury also was an All-Star in 2011 and 2015.
Marchessault up for “Last Men In”
Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault is one of eight players eligible to be added to the Pacific Division All-Star team by fan voting.
Fans can vote for the “Last Men In” at NHL.com/Vote from 9 p.m. Thursday to 8:59 p.m. Jan. 10. The player with the most votes in the division will be added to the roster.
Marchessault has 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists).
Pacioretty one step closer
Forward Max Pacioretty participated in practice Wednesday, but he remains on injured reserve with a lower-body injury suffered Dec. 17.
Gallant said he was unsure if Pacioretty would accompany the team on a trip to Anaheim for Friday’s game.
“He’s still day to day,” Gallant said. “He took another big step today. We’ll see how practice goes (Thursday).”
Max Pacioretty is a full participant in Golden Knights practice. He's wearing a blue ("3rd line") jersey. #VegasBorn pic.twitter.com/1ohH6TYC3J
— David Schoen 📰🗞🏒 (@DavidSchoenLVRJ) January 2, 2019
Defenseman Brad Hunt missed practice Wednesday to attend his grandfather’s funeral in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Gallant said he thought forward Valentin Zykov, who was claimed off waivers Saturday, would arrive in Las Vegas on Wednesday night. Gallant said Zykov was having an issue with customs.
The coach said he didn’t have an update on defenseman Colin Miller, who remains on injured reserve with an upper-body injury.
Reaves takes the leap
Forward Ryan Reaves’ work away from the puck on Brandon Pirri’s winning goal Tuesday night quickly became a viral sensation.
Reaves had a good chuckle about the clip that showed him jumping off the ice to allow a path for the puck to travel into the net during the Knights’ 2-0 victory over the Los Angeles Kings at T-Mobile Arena.
'Jump' by Van Halen plays in the background. So graceful, Ryan Reaves.
🎥: @GoldenKnights pic.twitter.com/mK7De77UiZ
— Yahoo Sports NHL (@YahooSportsNHL) January 2, 2019
“Yeah, I watched it,” he said after Wednesday’s practice. “It was a pretty good jump, but really it was just a matter of ‘please, don’t hit my teeth.’ My mom would kill me because she bought me braces. I just knew I needed to remove my mouth from the situation, so I just got as high as I could.”
Always the marketer, Reaves said he hopes to score an endorsement deal from the play.
“Maybe Jordan will give me my own shoe line,” he said. “The Air Reavo? I like that.”
Pirri honored
Pirri hasn’t played a game in the American Hockey League since Dec. 18 when he was called up to the NHL roster.
That didn’t stop the forward from being named the AHL player of the month after recording at least one point in all eight games he played for the Chicago Wolves in December.
Brandon Pirri, Jordan Kyrou and Jeremy Smith are the @CCMHockey / AHL award-winners for the month of December.
Details: https://t.co/Ru20s2s2lV pic.twitter.com/byOIGe1Gbc
— AHL (@TheAHL) January 2, 2019
“That’s funny,” Pirri said after practice Wednesday when informed of the honor.
Pirri, who still leads the AHL in points, had eight goals and 10 assists in eight AHL games in December. He has six goals and three assists in seven games for the Knights.
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Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.