Golden Knights score six, blank Sharks for third straight win

LAS VEGAS -- Marc-Andre Fleury made 33 saves for his NHL-leading fifth shutout, and the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the San Jose Sharks 6-0 at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday.

Fleury, who made 29 saves in a 2-0 win against the Calgary Flames on Friday, has five shutouts in his team's first 25 games for the second time in his NHL career (also 2014-15 with Pittsburgh Penguins). He and Hockey Hall of Famer Ed Belfour are the only NHL goalies in the expansion era (since 1967-68) to have at least five shutouts through 25 team games in two seasons.
The Golden Knights (12-12-1) went 4-1-0 in five consecutive games against Pacific Division opponents since Nov. 18, bouncing back from a 7-2 loss to the Flames on Monday with three consecutive wins.
WATCH: [All Sharks vs. Golden Knights highlights]
"It was a tough week, to play five games in seven days. I haven't seen that too much," said Fleury, who won all four of his starts in that span. "Played all division games and we were able to get some big points this week and climb up the standings, so that was huge for us."

The Sharks (12-8-4) lost their third straight road game and have lost three of five overall (2-2-1).
Max Pacioretty scored two goals for his second multigoal game in four days for Vegas.
"We just want to focus on the way we're playing, and we're playing some really good hockey," said Pacioretty, who scored twice in a 3-2 overtime win against the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday. "We said it time and again, some of those losses, we liked the way we were playing. We figured if we kept going that way, our bounces would come."

Aaron Dell made 30 saves for San Jose after he made 19 in a 4-0 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Friday.
The Golden Knights scored four times on 11 shots against Dell in the first period, taking a 1-0 lead on William Karlsson's goal at 14 seconds, the fastest at the start of a game in Vegas history.
Colin Miller scored at 4:40 to make it 2-0.
Pacioretty scored at 9:29 on the power play to give the Golden Knights a 3-0 lead and at 16:28 to make it 4-0. He has six goals in the past five games after scoring two in his first 16 of the season.
"[They're] just going in," Pacioretty said. "I trust the process here. I trust our system. I trust the coaches and the people in charge, and when they tell you to keep at it and the puck will go in and the floodgates will open."

Vegas has won five of its past six at home.
"This is a tough building to play in. It's back-to-back nights. But there's no excuse for getting run out of the building in the first period," Sharks forward Evander Kane said. "We have to have a better start."
William Carrier scored on a breakaway at 3:27 of the second period to make it 5-0, and Alex Tuch scored for the second straight game to make it 6-0 at 5:58 of the third.

Sharks coach Peter DeBoer was ejected at 16:34 of the second period, 53 seconds after Kane received a game misconduct and penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct and abuse of officials.
"You've got a team down 5-0, already short on the bench with [Sharks forward Logan] Couture hurt, and you're going to kick a guy out for arguing a call because emotions are high," DeBoer said. "Have a little feel for the game."
San Jose and Vegas combined for 64 penalty minutes.

They said it

"We weren't good tonight. We just came off two of our last three games were shutouts, we were 4-1-1 in our last six home games. We had a bad night. It happens. [Vegas] got beat the other night by Calgary, what, 7-2? It happens to everyone." -- Sharks coach Peter DeBoer
"He's the backbone of this team. I felt so guilty taking the penalty at the end of the game because of the potential of giving up a goal there with how good he's been. He sets the tone for us every night." -- Golden Knights forward Max Pacioretty on goalie Marc-Andre Fleury

Need to know

Couture left the game at 4:40 of the first period with an undisclosed injury, but he returned in the second period. ... Tuch has 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in the past 10 games. ... Pacioretty has six goals and one assist during a five-game point streak and has scored at least one point in six of the past seven games. ... The record for shutouts by an NHL goalie in his team's first 25 games during the expansion era is six (Belfour, 2000-01 Dallas Stars; Pascal Leclaire, 2007-08 Columbus Blue Jackets; and Bernie Parent, 1973-74 Philadelphia Flyers). ... Belfour had five shutouts in the first 25 games for the Stars in 1999-2000. ... Fleury has 53 shutouts in his NHL career, tied for 23rd all-time with Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne. ... Karlsson scored the second-fastest goal to start a game in Vegas history (55 seconds in a 4-2 win against the Los Angeles Kings on Nov. 19, 2017).

What's next

Sharks: At the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; SNE, SNO, SNP, MSG-B, NBCSCA, NHL.TV)
Golden Knights: At the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NBCSCH, NHL.TV)