Marc-Andre Fleury misses Golden Knights game against Jets
Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury did not dress for the first time this season Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets because of an illness.
Malcolm Subban started for the Knights. Garret Sparks, who was recalled from the American Hockey League’s Chicago Wolves on an emergency basis Friday, served as Subban’s backup.
Fleury missed Friday’s practice with the flu, coach Gerard Gallant said. Gallant added that Fleury is not expected to miss significant time. The Knights next play Tuesday at the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Fleury appeared in 13 of the Knights’ first 14 games and has an 8-3-1 record with a 2.51 goals-against average and .920 save percentage.
Movember ‘different’ this season
A few Knights players are growing mustaches for the third straight “Movember” to raise awareness for men’s health initiatives. But this season is “different,” right wing Mark Stone said, because of defenseman Shea Theodore’s testicular cancer diagnosis this summer.
Theodore, who is now fully recovered, is one of nine players participating in “Movember,” along with Stone, William Carrier, Cody Eakin, Brayden McNabb, Jon Merrill, Brandon Pirri, Malcolm Subban and Alex Tuch.
Hey guys, this time of the year is a little different than in previous years as it hits a little closer to home. You never know when or who it can affect so please donate to my Movember page to help make a difference! https://t.co/CGPFXNXgJE
— Shea Theodore (@stheodore17) November 2, 2019
“It’s a terrible disease,” Stone said. “It’s not just (Theodore) that’s been through it. There’s so many different guys.”
Stone had firsthand experience with his previous team, the Ottawa Senators. The general manager that drafted Stone, Bryan Murray, died in 2017 after battling colon cancer for three years. Senators assistant coach Mark Reeds died in 2015 from esophageal cancer.
“There’s lots of different people that have been touched in the hockey world through cancer,” Stone said. “It’s a bit of a touchy one for a lot of guys in this league.”
Sleepy Schmidt
Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt played in his second game Saturday since returning from a lower-body injury. He admitted he felt rusty in his first game back Thursday and said he was exhausted afterward.
“It usually takes me a long time after games to fall asleep, but after that one, I was home and I was tired,” Schmidt said. “I went right to bed. That’s just getting used to playing again.”
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Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.
