Marc-Andre Fleury will start Game 3 for Golden Knights

Marc-Andre Fleury will make his second start of the postseason for the Golden Knights on Saturday, but he’ll do so without two key forwards in front of him.

Centers Paul Stastny and Tomas Nosek were ruled “unfit to play” in Game 3 of the Knights’ first-round series against the Chicago Blackhawks. Left wing Max Pacioretty will play after missing Game 2. Forward Patrick Brown will also come into the lineup from the team’s taxi squad.

Fleury previously started in the round robin against the St. Louis Blues and allowed four goals on 17 shots. The Knights still defeated the defending Stanley Cup champions 6-4.

Robin Lehner has started the team’s other four playoff games. Lehner is 7-0 with the Knights, including 4-0 in the postseason. Coach Pete DeBoer previously said he would consider alternating starters in Games 3 and 4 because the two teams will play on back-to-back days.

Pacioretty’s and Nosek’s statuses were uncertain for Saturday. Pacioretty missed five of the Knights’ first six games in the Edmonton, Alberta, secure zone after suffering a minor injury during training camp. He appeared in Game 1 against the Blackhawks but was ruled “unfit to play” for Game 2.

Nosek replaced Pacioretty in the lineup but exited in the second period with an apparent injury. Stastny played the entire game and provided the winning assist on right wing Reilly Smith’s overtime goal.

Brown, 27, played one game for the Knights this season. He scored a goal in a 6-5 overtime win against the Anaheim Ducks on Feb. 23.

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.