Fleury makes 24 saves to help Golden Knights defeat Penguins

LAS VEGAS -- Marc-Andre Fleury made 24 saves in his first game against his former team, and the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday.
It was Fleury's first win since Oct. 10. He missed two months recovering from a concussion before returning Tuesday in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

"It's different. You didn't know what to expect," Fleury said. "I was quiet during the game]. I don't know why. I always yelled at [the Penguins] in practice and whatnot."
***[WATCH: [All Penguins vs. Golden Knights highlights]*
James Neal and Jon Merrill scored for the Golden Knights (20-9-2), who won for the fifth time in six games and became the fastest team in NHL history to reach 20 wins in its inaugural season.
Ian Cole scored for the Penguins (16-14-3), who have lost three games in a row. Matt Murray made 24 saves in his return after missing six games with a lower-body injury.
"They just work so hard and that's where they caught us by surprise, especially on the forecheck," Murray said. "They're definitely a hardworking team and fast team, and they're good in transition."
Fleury played his first 13 NHL seasons for Pittsburgh before being selected by Vegas in the NHL Expansion Draft. He has the most wins (375) and shutouts (44) in Penguins history, and helped them win the Stanley Cup three times (2009, 2016, 2017).
"You see [Fleury] there, it's a little different," said Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, Fleury's teammate from 2005-17.

Fleury, who said he had been thinking about facing the Penguins for a long time, credited his teammates with limiting the scoring chances he faced.
"Everyone played hard for 60 minutes, and I was very happy to get that win," Fleury said. "I thank them for playing such a great game."
Merrill scored his first goal of the season in his fifth game at 8:17 of the third period to put Vegas ahead 2-1. He took a drop pass from Erik Haula on a rush and beat Murray with a one-timer from above the left face-off circle.
Merrill took two penalties in the game, for interference at 2:08 of the first period and for delay of game for smothering the puck at 15:05 in the second.

"I kept telling myself, 'I've got to score, I've got to do something,'" Merrill said. "I made a presence for myself, and I'm really happy I was able to do that tonight."
Neal put the Golden Knights up 1-0 when he scored on their first shot at 1:41 of the first period. Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta blocked Colin Miller's shot, and the puck bounced to Neal, who beat Murray top shelf.
Neal, who played 199 games for Pittsburgh from 2011-14, has 15 goals, tied with William Karlsson for the Vegas lead.
Cole scored at 12:04 of the first to tie it 1-1.
Pittsburgh, which is fourth in the NHL on the power play (25.61 percent), went 0-for-3.
Fleury could play his first game as a visitor at Pittsburgh on Feb. 6.
"For a little while, I can be relieved," Fleury said. "We've still got another one to go [in February]. I'm glad it's over and we got the win."

Goal of the game

Merrill's goal at 8:17 of the third period.

Save of the game

Fleury stopping Brian Dumoulin at 13:41 of the second period.

Highlight of the game

Fleury's diving poke check on Conor Sheary above the right hash marks at 6:17 of the first period.

They said it

"When they got the go-ahead goal, we pressed a little bit to try to create some offense, and when we do that, sometimes we become a high-risk team. When you're only one shot away, you gotta stay with it and stay with the game plan and make sure you defend." -- Penguins coach Mike Sullivan
"I think from the drop of the puck to the end of the game, it was a fairly even game. We played a good hockey game. Great goaltending on both ends. It's fun, and the guys played hard. Our guys showed up for it."-- Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant

Need to know

Sullivan remains one win shy of his 100th as Penguins coach. ... Haula has three goals and four assists during a five-game point streak. ... Golden Knights forward David Perron had an assist on Neal's goal. He has a goal and four assists during a four-game point streak since returning from an upper-body injury that caused him to miss two weeks.

What's next

Penguins: At the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; FS-A PLUS, ATTSN-PT, NHL.TV)
Golden Knights: Host the Florida Panthers on Sunday (8 p.m. ET; ATTSN-RM, FS-F, NHL.TV)