Fleury makes history with Golden Knights

Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury made another piece of NHL history on Friday when his 45-save performance helped the Vegas Golden Knights defeat the
Dallas Stars 2-1
in their first regular-season game.

Fleury, a three-time Stanley Cup winner with the Pittsburgh Penguins before being taken by Vegas in the NHL Expansion Draft on June 21, made the most saves by a goaltender in an expansion team's first win (since 1967), according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The previous mark of 37
was set by Hank Bassen
of the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 3-1 win against the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 13, 1967
and matched by Goran Hogosta
of the Quebec Nordiques in a 5-2 win against the Colorado Rockies on Oct. 18, 1979.

Forward
James Neal
scored each of the Golden Knights' goals in the third period, including the game-winner with 2:44 remaining. According to Elias, Neal is the seventh player to score two or more goals for an expansion franchise in the team's first NHL game. The only two players to score more than two goals for an expansion franchise in its NHL debut are center
Chris Kontos, who scored four
for the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 7-3 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 7, 1992, and forward
Real Cloutier, who had three
for the Nordiques in a 5-3 loss against the Atlanta Flames on Oct. 10, 1979.
The victory by the Golden Knights gives expansion teams a 7-16-3 record in their first NHL games, including 3-8-2 in road games.