Fleury makes 26 saves, Golden Knights blank Capitals

LAS VEGAS -- Marc-Andre Fleury made 26 saves for his first shutout with the Vegas Golden Knights in a 3-0 victory against the Washington Capitals at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday.
"We got a big lead there, and after that we did a good job in front of the net," said Fleury, who had 44 shutouts in 13 seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins. "I can't say enough good things about how they did."

WATCH: [All Capitals vs. Golden Knights highlights]
Alex Tuch, Oscar Lindberg and William Karlsson scored in the first period for the Golden Knights (23-9-2), who have won four games in a row and eight out of nine.
Fleury has won three of four starts since returning after missing 25 games with a concussion. Vegas is 6-1-1 with Fleury in net.
"[Fleury's] been real good," coach Gerard Gallant said. "We know what we got when we got him in the Expansion Draft. I thought us getting that 3-0 lead was important. He made some real key saves at key times to keep it 3-0."

Braden Holtby made 26 saves for the Capitals (22-13-2), who were coming off a 3-2 overtime loss at the Arizona Coyotes on Friday. It was Holtby's third loss in 12 starts.
"We knew it was going to be hard back-to-back," said Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, who had three shots on goal. "I think if it was not for [Holtby], it would be like 10-0 after the first period. That's why he's one of the best goalies in the League."
The Golden Knights scored three goals in the opening 14:55.
"We lost it really in the first 10 (minutes)," Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. "We talked about this team, how they like to jump on teams. They got a team that competes hard on pucks. We said if you're not ready for the speed and pressure, they'll just overtake you."
Cody Eakin got his 100th NHL assist when he helped set up Tuch's goal at 2:37 for a 1-0 lead.
Lindberg scored at 7:39 to make it 2-0. Tomas Nosek led a 4-on-2 rush for the Golden Knights and passed the puck to Lindberg, who beat Holtby top shelf from the top of the left hash marks.
Karlsson scored his first goal since Dec. 8 at 14:55 to give the Golden Knights a 3-0 lead. Jonathan Marchessault, whose 32 points lead Vegas, earned his 20th assist.
The Golden Knights are 15-2-1 at home after going 4-0-1 on their five-game homestand.
"This is definitely the best home crowd I've ever played in front of," Tuch said. "The momentum the fans give us is unbelievable."

Goal of the game

Lindberg's goal at 7:39 of the first period.

Saves of the game

Fleury stopping Ovechkin at 9:53 of the third period and Nicklas Backstrom on the rebound.

Highlight of the game

Karlsson's goal at 14:55 of the first period.

They said it

"We just weren't mentally prepared to work, to skate, or anything. Against a team like that, you can talk about them, how they're a first-year team (and) you don't know a lot about them. But everyone sees it; they work. We didn't work." -- Capitals goalie Braden Holtby
"There's still stuff I need to work on. There are things I need to improve on. It's always more fun being healthy, enjoying the game. Being with my teammates on the ice, winning games, it's been fun." -- Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury

Need to know

Fleury has back-to-back shutouts against the Capitals, including a 2-0 victory for the Penguins in Game 7 of the 2017 Eastern Conference Second Round. He allowed four goals in three wins during the homestand. … Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt was plus-1 in 20:29 in his first game against his former team. Like Fleury, he was selected in the Expansion Draft. ... Vegas is 15-1-0 when scoring first.

What's next

Capitals: At the New York Rangers on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHL.TV)
Golden Knights: At the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET; PRIME, ATTSN-RM, NHL.TV)