Marc-Andre Fleury, the most impactful player in the short history of the Vegas Golden Knights, kicks off the most notable regular season game they’ve played this weekend.
“He deserves to start this game,” said Vegas coach Peter DeBoer.
Fleury will lead the Golden Knights on the ice for the Bridgestone NHL Outdoors Saturday against the Colorado Avalanche at Edgewood Tahoe Resort in Stateline, Nevada (3:00 PM ET; NBC, SN1, SN, TVAS). It’s the first outdoor game for the Golden Knights and the goalkeeper in their first regular season, Stanley Cup Playoff and Stanley Cup Final matches, will come into the net.
Fleury has started with 164 of the Golden Knights’ 249 regular season games and has had 98 of their 143 wins since they started playing in the 2017-18 season, reaching the finals.
“Have been impacting this franchise from the day it opened the [2017 NHL] Expansion Draft was immeasurable, “said DeBoer 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 are in the twilight of their career or ignore it, and may not look back that much and appreciate moments, but when I talk to him, I think he has that recognition and appreciation in the moment when this is a special game and a special day. “
Fleury (7-2-0) has a 1.56 goals-against-average and .937 save percentage this season. He ranks first and second in the NHL among goalkeepers with five or more starts. He has started five consecutive games with Robin Lehner Sidelined for an upper body injury and is 3-2-0 with one shutout, an 1.81 GAA and .931 save percentage. Fleury conceded three goals on 55 shots (.945 serve percentage) in back-to-back games against Colorado on Sunday and Tuesday.
“This is a springboard for our organization, and I think we are starting to become known in the League as a destination,” said the Golden Knights captain Mark Stone said. “Everyone wants to play for Vegas. He was part of the reasoning and one of the main reasons for creating that culture. He’s excited to play. … He played amazingly.”
Fleury has played two NHL offsides, both for the Penguins: the 2011 NHL Winter Classic, a 3-1 defeat to the Washington Capitals at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh; and the 2014 NHL Stadium Series, a 5-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks at Soldier Field in Chicago.
This game isn’t all about Fleury or his start in Vegas’ first signature regular season game.
It’s more about the scene, the picturesque setting, the NHL’s first time playing a game on a golf course with the beauty of Mother Nature taking the place of fans because of the coronavirus pandemic. The previous 30 NHL outdoor games drew 1,622,081 fans together.
Video: Outline the challenges facing players in Tahoe
This event, which concludes the following day with the Philadelphia Flyers facing the Boston Bruins in the Honda NHL Outdoors Sunday (2:00 p.m. ET; NBC, SN, SN1, TVAS), was made for TV, featuring Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada in the background.
“The environment speaks for itself,” says Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog said. ‘You can see that in pictures, but it still doesn’t really do it justice. Once you’re on that ice, it’s probably the purest form of hockey. ‘
On Saturday, the purity will be bottled in a match between two teams that this week showed how good they can be and how close they are in the Honda West Division.
Vegas and Colorado were handpicked by many to finish 1-2 in the division, in either order. The Golden Knights have played 14 games, the Avalanche 13, and they are first and second in point percentage in the West. Vegas (10-3-1) is at .750, Colorado (8-4-1) at .654.
The Golden Knights defeated the Avalanche 1-0 at home on Sunday. Two nights later, Colorado won 3-2 on the same ice Nazem Kadri |‘s goal with 41 seconds left in the third period.
The shots on goal in the two games were 55-53 in favor of Colorado. The total number of shot attempts was 120-112 in Vegas’ favor.
“It was two hard-fought games, and I think you’ve seen a little bit of everything, the speed and talent of both teams, great goaltending in both games,” said Avalanche coach Jared Bednar. “We have two more against them (in a set of four games ending in Colorado on Monday) and this one is clearly in a great setting.”
Video: Golden Knights Wear Microphones to Practice in Lake Tahoe
The Golden Knights got healthier on Tuesday with the return of the defender Shea Theodore, who missed three games with an upper body injury.
Saturday, Landeskog and defender Samuel Girard are expected to return, and defender Cale Makar will be a game time decision. Landeskog, an attacker and Girard missed the two games against Vegas while on the NHL COVID-19 protocol list. Makar was out with an upper body injury.
“They’re getting their captain back into the line-up and he brings leadership, skill and spunk as an all-round player, and Makar is one of the best defenders in the League,” said Stone. “So it’s clear you have to test those guys a little bit … They’re going to jump at that.”
Colorado downtown Nathan MacKinnon said the Avalanche getting healthy should give an even better indication of how the teams match, how close they are, and perhaps who has the lead.
“They are a really difficult team to play against,” said MacKinnon. “They have top skills. There are no weaknesses. I am sure we will play them in the playoffs one day and it will be a tough series.”