Golden Knights’ Marc-Andre Fleury silences postseason critics

Especially with the way the Golden Knights goaltender is playing.

“It’s a while back, I think,” Fleury said.

Fleury posted two shutouts in the opening round of the Western Conference playoffs, outdueling Los Angeles’ Jonathan Quick in the Knights’ four-game sweep.

The 33-year-old enters the second-round series against San Jose the early leader for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP and continues to silence the few remaining critics who dwell on his past performances in the postseason.

“I don’t know if he’s rejuvenated,” Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said. “I think his game’s always been there. He’s always been an elite goalie, always an elite athlete. You have a situation where he’s been behind a guy (Matt Murray) who’s been all-world the last two years, so I think you’re just seeing what he is, and that’s a great goaltender.

“It’s not like he’s a late-30s goaltender. And he’s fresh. He hasn’t played a lot in the last couple years. He’s been very good — really impressive against L.A.”

Fleury is the NHL’s active leader in postseason victories (66) and shutouts (12) and won three Stanley Cups during his time in Pittsburgh.

He led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup Final in 2009 at age 24, clinching the championship with a memorable last-second stop against Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom in Game 7.

But Fleury failed to post a save percentage above .900 in the playoffs from 2010-13.

And when Pittsburgh couldn’t hold a 3-1 series advantage against the New York Rangers in the second round in 2014, Fleury’s play came under scrutiny.

In Pittsburgh’s opening-round loss to the Rangers and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist in 2015, Fleury finished with a 2.12 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage in five games.

“I think you learn from it,” Fleury said. “You learn from hard times. You learn from losing. You learn from tough times and pressure and stuff like that. It made me a better goalie from it.

“Maybe I’m better at forgetting things, forgetting games, forgetting goals, not caring about the media, what you guys say or write, what people think. I cared a lot. I always wanted to do well. … I learned to relax, and whatever happens, happens.”

Fleury suffered a concussion prior to the postseason in 2016 and made two appearances as the backup to Murray, who led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup as a rookie.

Last season, Fleury filled in for the injured Murray and backstopped the Penguins to a five-game series win over Columbus in the opening round.

Fleury shut out Washington 2-0 in Game 7 to clinch the second-round series before Murray took over early in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final against Ottawa and guided Pittsburgh to its second consecutive title.

Fleury finished the 2017 playoffs with a 9-6 record to go with a 2.56 GAA and a .924 save percentage in 15 games.

With Murray entrenched as the starter, Fleury was left unprotected in the expansion draft. He posted career bests in goals-against (2.24) and save percentage (.927) with the Knights.

“I couldn’t be happier for him,” said NBC hockey analyst Eddie Olczyk, who was Pittsburgh’s coach when Fleury was drafted No. 1 overall in 2003. “I know the last couple of years when the Penguins won, he wanted to be in there. You want to be part of it.

“I’ve been in a similar situation (with the Rangers), being the extra guy on a team that wins (the Stanley Cup) — a regular who scored 30 goals for five straight years, and all of a sudden your number isn’t called and you’ve got to be a good soldier. It’s great to see him play well.”

Fleury was the star of the first-round win against Los Angeles with a 0.65 goals-against average and a .977 save percentage.

He’s the fifth goalie since the league expanded for the 1967-68 season to win all four games of a playoff series while recording a GAA of 0.70 or less.

Now he’ll oppose another playoff-proven goaltender in Martin Jones, who led the Sharks to the 2016 Stanley Cup Final against Pittsburgh.

Jones owns the lowest goals-against average (1.90) among active goalies with at least 20 postseason games and ranks third all time in save percentage (.931).

“Our guy’s been outstanding, obviously, with the four games he’s just finished playing,” Knights coach Gerard Gallant said. “He’s very confident. And it’s not just the four games, it’s over his career. He’s been outstanding.”

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