Marc-Andre Fleury, the most shocking player in the short history of the Vegas Golden Knights, this weekend will begin the regular season game of the highest profile they have played.
“He deserves to start this game,” Las Vegas coach Peter DeBoer said.
Fleury will lead the Golden Knights on ice for the Bridgestone NHL Outdoors Saturday against the Colorado avalanche at the Edgewood Tahoe Resort in Stateline, Nevada (3 p.m. ET; NBC, SN1, SN, TVAS). It’s the Golden Knights ’first outdoor game and the goalkeeper who started his first regular season, the Stanley Cup Playoff and the Stanley Cup Final, will be on the net.
Fleury has started 164 of the 249 regular season games for the Golden Knights and has 98 of his 143 wins since they started playing in the 2017-18 season, when they reached the final.
“Their impact on this franchise from the day they had it [2017 NHL] The expansion draft has been immeasurable, “DeBoer said of the 36-year-old, who is in his 17th NHL season and won the Stanley Cup three times with the Pittsburgh Penguins (2009, 2016, 2017).” I think he has the perspective. A lot of guys don’t realize they’re in the twilight of their career or tend to ignore it, and they may not look back and appreciate the moments, but in talking to him I think he has that recognition and recognition the moment this is a special game and a special day “.
Fleury (7-2-0) has an average of 1.56 goals against and a saving percentage of 0.937 this season, ranking first and second in the NHL among goalkeepers with five or more starts. He has started five games in a row with Robin Lehner offside due to an upper body injury and is 3-2-0 with a close, a 1.1 GAA and a .931 save percentage. Fleury allowed three goals in 55 shots (saving percentage of .945) in consecutive games against Colorado on Sunday and Tuesday.
“This is a cornerstone for our organization and I think we are starting to be known in the League as a destination,” the Golden Knights captain said. Mark Stone dit. “Everyone wants to play in Las Vegas. He was part of the reasoning and one of the main reasons for creating this culture. He’s excited to play … He’s played amazing.”
Fleury has played two NHL outdoor games, both for the Penguins: the 2011 NHL Winter Classic, a 3-1 loss to the Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field; and the 2014 NHL Stadium Series, a 5-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks at Chicago’s Soldier Field.
This game is not just about Fleury or his start in the first game of the regular season in Las Vegas.
It’s more about the scene, the scenic setting, the first time the NHL will play a golf course, and the beauty of Mother Nature will replace fans due to the coronavirus pandemic. The previous 30 NHL away games had 1,622,081 fans.
Video: Breaking the challenges of Tahoe players
This event, which will conclude the next day with the Philadelphia Flyers facing the Boston Bruins at the Honda NHL Outdoors Sunday (14:00 ET; NBC, SN, SN1, TVAS) is intended for television, with Lake Tahoe and Sierra Nevada to the background.
“The surroundings speak for themselves,” the avalanche captain said Gabriel Landeskog dit. “It can be seen in pictures, but it still doesn’t do it justice. Once you get out on this ice, it’s probably the purest form of hockey.”
On Saturday, purity will be bottled up in a match between two teams that have shown this week how good they can be and how close they are to the Honda West Division.
Vegas and Colorado were chosen by many to finish 1-2 in the division, in any order. The Golden Knights have played 14 games, the Avalanche 13, and are the first and second percentage points in the West. Vegas (10-3-1) is at .750, Colorado (8-4-1) is at .654.
The Golden Knights defeated the Avalanche 1-0 at home on Sunday. Two nights later on the same ice, Colorado won 3-2 Nazem Kadri |of the goal with 41 seconds left for the third period.
The shots on goal in both games were 55 to 53 in favor of Colorado. Total shooting attempts were 120-112 in favor of Vegas.
“They were two very hard-fought games, and I think you saw a little bit of everything, the speed and talent of both teams, great goal service in both games,” said avalanche coach Jared Bednar. “We still have two more against them (in a four-game set that ends Monday in Colorado) and obviously this one is in a fantastic setting.”
Video: Golden Knights bring microphones to practice on Lake Tahoe
The Golden Knights got healthier on Tuesday with the defender’s return Shea Theodore, who missed three games with an upper body injury.
Saturday, Landeskog and defense Samuel Girard he is expected to return, and defender Cale Makar it will be a game time decision. Landeskog, striker, and Girard missed both games against Vegas while on the NHL COVID-19 protocol list. Makar was out with an injury to his upper body.
“They get their captain back in training and he brings leadership, he brings skill, he brings sand as a global player and Makar is one of the best defenders in the league,” Stone said. “So obviously you’re going to have to get a little deeper into those guys. … They’ll make a leap out of that.”
Downtown Colorado Nathan MacKinnon he said the avalanche that gets healthy should give an even better indication of how the teams match, how far apart they are and perhaps who has the advantage.
“They’re a very tough team to play against,” MacKinnon said. “They have high-end ability. There are no weaknesses. I’m sure we’ll play them sometime in the playoffs and it will be a tough series.”