Fleury, Golden Knights blank Penguins for his first win in Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH -- Marc-Andre Fleury made 29 saves against his former team for his first win here with the Vegas Golden Knights, 3-0 against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday.

Fleury tied Terry Sawchuk for seventh on the NHL wins list with 445, and Paul Stastny scored for the Golden Knights (6-3-0), who have won four of their past five games. It was Fleury's 57th shutout in the NHL, his first of the season and 13th for Vegas.
"I don't really chase the numbers," Fleury said. "I think it's just about getting the win, getting the two points. Right now, that's what matters."
WATCH: [All Golden Knights vs. Penguins highlights]
Tristan Jarry made 21 saves for Pittsburgh (6-3-0), which came in on a five-game winning streak after defeating the Dallas Stars 4-2 in the first half of a home back-to-back on Friday.
"I give our players a lot of credit," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "We're competing hard out there. It's a one-goal hockey game. We had a fair amount of chances. We couldn't seem to find a way to put it in the net."
Fleury played for the Penguins from 2003-17, winning the Stanley Cup in 2009, 2016 and 2017. It was his second start back in Pittsburgh; he made 33 saves on 38 shots in a 5-4 loss Feb. 6, 2018.
"It's always fun for me to come back," Fleury said. "I saw so many people with signs and my jersey, waving and cheering. It's always nice. ... I was still was a little bit [nervous] coming in. It's good I got a few shots early, so got to get into the game a bit. I think it'll always be a little special."

Stastny put the Golden Knights ahead 1-0 with a power-play goal on a one-timer from the right face-off circle at 3:48 of the second period. It was his fourth goal of the season, all in his past five games.
Juuso Riikola had a chance to tie it on the power play when he sent a one-timer toward an open net, but Fleury slid over from the left post to make the save with his left arm at 9:19 of the third period.
"[The Penguins] were coming," Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant said. "They were pressing hard. [Fleury] made some unbelievable saves. ... [Tomas] Nosek blocked a couple of big shots. Some of our defensemen. It's huge when you get that from your team."

William Karlsson scored a shorthanded empty-net goal to make it 2-0 with 1:15 remaining, and Mark Stone scored into an empty net to make it 3-0 with 52 seconds left.

They said it

"Super excited for [Fleury]. I think he's earned it. He deserves it. He was lights-out tonight, especially on the penalty kill. He made a couple of huge saves for us. So excited he got a shutout." -- Golden Knights forward Paul Stastny
"I think we did some good things. Just didn't find a way to score. Had solid chances, and usually they go in. [Fleury] made some good saves. We had a couple that got behind him and hit the post. Couldn't find a way to put it in. ... We played well enough to give ourselves a chance. That happens sometimes. You play good teams. You play well. We gave ourselves a chance. That's all you can do sometimes, and you move on." -- Penguins center Sidney Crosby

Need to know

Vegas got its 100th win in franchise history nine games into its third season (173 games). ... Golden Knights defenseman Jake Bischoff had three blocked shots in 16:06 in his NHL debut. ... Vegas killed each of Pittsburgh's four power plays, including three in the third period. ... Penguins defenseman Erik Gudbranson played 13:44 after being a healthy scratch the previous two games. ... Pittsburgh forward Jared McCann did not play after scoring a goal Friday. He missed the Penguins' 3-2 overtime win against the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday with a lower-body injury. … Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin was a late scratch for an undisclosed reason after being listed on the top pair with Kris Letang following warmups. Sullivan did not provide an update following the game. ... The Penguins used Riikola, a defenseman, at fourth-line left wing for the second time in their past three games. ... Penguins forward Jake Guentzel had his NHL career-high seven-game point streak end. He had eight points (five goals, three assists) during that stretch. ... Crosby was held without a point for a second straight game after starting the season with 12 points (four goals, eight assists) during a seven-game point streak.

What's next

Golden Knights: At the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, TVAS, NBCSP, ATTSN-RM, NHL.TV)
Penguins: At the Florida Panthers on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, FS-F, ATTSN-PT, NHL.TV)