Marc-Andre Fleury Virtually Unbeatable In First Round Of Playoffs

Marc-Andre Fleury is on a run. And it dates all the way back to last season's Stanley Cup playoffs.
Fleury was virtually unbeatable against the Los Angeles Kings as the Vegas Golden Knights swept their Pacific Division rivals.
"I give Fleury a lot of credit, he was unbelievable. But the other guy in the net was incredible, too. Fleury, to give up three goals in four games and play the way he played, he just shut the door and he looked solid the whole way through," said Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant. "He was huge for us and at key times. To me, LA put some pressure on us the last two nights. They had a lot of good chances to score, but he just shut the door. He was solid and he's our leader.
But for close watchers of the 33-year-old Fleury, it was really just more of the same dating back to late last season.
Fleury was the subject of trade and expansion draft rumors for much of last season. Once it became clear he wouldn't be traded but would be exposed in the expansion draft, the afforded clarity allowed Fleury to focus on stopping pucks and rather than his hockey future.
The result was brilliant play. Fleury was relaxed and strong down the stretch post trade deadline last season. And in the playoffs he was brilliant winning two rounds for the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins while posting a .924 save percentage and a 9-6 record in 15 games started.

Sure enough, Fleury was left exposed in the expansion draft by the Penguins. He arrived in Vegas refreshed and focused. The result, a Vezina caliber season if not for a six-week stretch on the IR due to a concussion.
Fleury was arguably the VGK MVP as he went 29-13-0 with a .927 save percentage.
The three-time Stanley Cup champion was resurgent and reveled in the role of leader. Fleury loves being counted on and the responsibility of being the No. 1 for his team. Night in and night out, he gave his team an opportunity to win.
And like any franchise goaltender, Fleury has saved his best for the biggest moment. He has been the best goalie in this year's Stanley Cup playoffs with a perfect 4-0 record and a .977 save percentage as well as a 0.65 goals-against average.
On Tuesday night, the Kings threw all they had at Fleury in the first period. It was nothing short of a barrage and he was impenetrable. Nothing came close to getting by him.
"Yeah, he's phenomenal. He's been great all year. This series he's right on top of his game," said veteran defensemen Deryk Engelland. "He's kept us alive in a lot of different times in the game and the series. He played phenomenal and we owe a lot to him for that."
Fleury registered his second straight shutout in a potential series-clinching game, following a 2-0 victory with the Penguins in Game 7 of the 2017 Second Round against Washington. Overall, Fleury stopped 127 of 130 shots in Vegas' sweep of the Kings.
The Golden Knights became just the third team from the NHL, NBA and MLB to complete a four-game sweep to win their first-ever playoff series - and the first to do so in their inaugural season. Elias notes that the Penguins achieved the feat in 1970 (vs. Oakland Seals), their third season in the NHL, and the MLB's Boston Braves did so in 1914 (vs. Philadelphia Athletics), their 39th season as a franchise and the 11th in which the MLB crowned a World Series champion.
The four wins and two shutouts moved Fleury up the all-time ladder. He earned his 66th career playoff win to move past Dominik Hasek for sole possession of 11th place on the NHL's all-time list. He also posted his 12th career playoff shutout to tie with Terry Sawchuk for 10th place in Stanley Cup Playoffs history.
Fleury's last four-game sweep of an opponent in the postseason came in 2009 when the Pittsburgh Penguins swept the Carolina Panthers in the Eastern Conference Finals. He also posted two shutouts in the same postseason series for only the second time in his career. The only other time he had two shutouts in the same postseason series against the New York Rangers in 2014.
Fleury is the fifth goaltender in the expansion era (since 1967-68) to win all four games of a playoff series while recording a goals-against average of 0.70 or less. The others: Pekka Rinne (0.70 GAA in 2017 FR w/ NSH), Tony Esposito (0.50 GAA in 1974 SF w/ CHI), Jean-Sebastian Giguere (0.22 GAA in 2003 CF w/ ANA) and TuukkaRask (0.44 GAA in 2013 CF w/ BOS).
Vegas became the 15th team in NHL history - and second in as many years - to allow three goals against or fewer in a four-game series. Only six teams in the past 39 years have achieved the feat, including the Rinne-led Predators in the 2017 First Round vs. CHI.