Fleury’s 4th shutout proves sweet victory for Golden Knights
I suppose there is a message wrapped within each of those 42 saves, including one made blind by a sweeping leg that few other than one of the most athletic goalies in NHL history could execute:
Marc-Andre Fleury does tired better than the average person.
That and, when at his best, is really good for a fan’s sweet tooth.
History has defined much of this inaugural season for the Golden Knights, but one of its central commands won’t change for anyone once the playoffs commence.
You advance as far as your goalie allows.
So while the Knights spoke about playing with more determination and focus and a greater sense of urgency against Calgary on Sunday, their 4-0 victory before an announced gathering of 18,075 at T-Mobile Arena more than anything reiterated a old theme about goalies and their importance this time of year.
Gerard Gallant is the coach who felt before the season that 97 points would be good enough to make the playoffs, and now that such a mark has been reached and a postseason berth remains imminent, closing out a Pacific Division in which the Knights are eight points clear of second-place San Jose becomes the next objective.
Such a finish — and any wins that come after — will depend heavily on Fleury, who just days before his Sunday shutout skated off with 17:29 remaining in the second period and his team down 4-0 in a home game it would lose to New Jersey 8-3.
That was Wednesday.
He then started a 4-2 loss to Minnesota on Friday.
He then made his 20th start in the last 21 outings Sunday.
“I’m a little tired now after the game,” Fleury said. “I’ve been able to get time off here and there, short practices, trying to manage the energy down the stretch. (Goalie coach Dave Prior) has the final say on (who plays) but it’s good. It’s an open talk.”
Just guessing: In such discussions when stating his case to play, Fleury is a better negotiator than Benjamin Franklin.
In winning Sunday, he tied Chris Osgood for 12th place on the all-time list with 401 victories, and Fleury’s 20 saves in the first period kept it close before the Knights blew things open with four second-period goals.
Fleury has stood any ordinary test of time, now 33 and at a listed 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, having passed through an era when goalies grew taller and taller, space-eaters in the butterfly position who cover nets from Summerlin to Henderson.
Ben Bishop. Pekka Rinne. Scott Darling. Connor Hellebuyck. Martin Jones. Robin Lehner. Frederik Andersen. Devan Dubnyk.
The list of tall guys is long.
But there has also been a noticeable shift back to smaller men in goal, those able to track pucks even as a stand-up style disappeared. Fleury has played and succeeded through all off it.
“I’m not into the size as much,” said Prior, having watched Fleury with Pittsburgh for years while on coaching staffs of teams trying to solve the three-time Stanley Cup champion. “It gets to a point where size is a negative as opposed to someone as agile and quick as Marc-Andre is. I prefer athleticism. There’s always a tradeoff between quickness and agility — I want agile guys.
“I obviously faced (Fleury) numerous times and scouted him before the expansion draft. His stamina, how hard he works to try and continue getting his game correct. He makes the coaching part real easy.”
You can’t coach this: Calgary was on a second-period power play when Fleury glided to his left to make a save. As the puck slid to the opposite side, he turned his back completely on the play and stuck his left leg out while sliding over to deny the shot from Mikael Backlund.
There might have been better saves in the NHL this season, but probably not.
And certainly not of this athletic skill.
“I just tried to get something there, right?” Fleury said. “I got a piece, so it was nice.”
And because of it, his fourth shutout this season and 48th of his career was preserved, meaning any fan with a ticket to Sunday’s game is eligible for a free dozen doughnuts from Krispy Kreme.
“Just talk about the doughnuts and not the shutout,” Fleury said. “That’s nice of Krispy Kreme. I take pride in trying to get some doughnuts for everybody.”
A Man of all People who love Fried Cake.
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Contact columnist Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on Twitter.