A three-goal barrage in the opening frame in Las Vegas sent the Golden Knights to a 3-0 win over the visiting Washington Capitals Saturday night.
Marc-Andre Fleury made 26 saves for the shutout, his first with the Knights.
“We got a big lead there, and after that we did a good job in front of the net,” Fleury 
said. “I can’t say enough good things about how they did.”
The first period offense came from the sticks of Alex Tuch, Oscar Lindberg and William Karlsson.
With Fleury in net, the Knights are 6-1-1 and he has won three starts since returning from a concussion.
“[Fleury’s] been real good,” Vegas head coach Gerard Gallant said. “We know what we got when we got him in the Expansion Draft. I thought us getting that 3-0 lead was important. He made some real key saves at key times to keep it 3-0.”
The loss for Washington was their second in two nights after dropping an OT decision to the Arizona Coyotes Friday.
“We knew it was going to be hard back-to-back,” the Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin said. “I think if it was not for [Holtby], it would be like 10-0 after the first period. That’s why he’s one of the best goalies in the League.”
The Knights are a stellar 15-2-1 on home ice.
“There’s still stuff I need to work on. There are things I need to improve on. It’s always more fun being healthy, enjoying the game. Being with my teammates on the ice, winning games, it’s been fun,” Fleury said after the shutout win.
Braden Holtby made 26 saves in the loss as the Caps dropped to 22-13-2 on the season.
“We lost it really in the first 10 (minutes),” Caps head coach Barry Trotz said. “We talked about this team, how they like to jump on teams. They got a team that competes hard on pucks. We said if you’re not ready for the speed and pressure, they’ll just overtake you.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.