Fleury enjoys heavy workload in Golden Knights’ net
The way Marc-Andre Fleury sees it, he’s already had his time off.
The Golden Knights’ starting goaltender missed 25 games because of a concussion in mid-October, but he’s now healthy and playing at a high level. And even though he has started the past 10 games and 15 of 16, he’s not looking for a day off.
“I feel fine,” Fleury said. “There’s been more goals lately, which I’m not happy about. But we’re finding ways to win games.”
Fleury, 33, said his diet and exercise regimen allows him to handle the workload.
“You eat well, rest the best you can between games,” he said. “We have practice, but the coaches do a good job of not making it too long. You try to stay flexible, stay loose and healthy.”
With a 21-7-2 record, a goals-against average of 2.13 and a save percentage of .930, Fleury is giving the Knights a chance to win every night. He was excellent in the first period of Friday’s 6-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks at T-Mobile Arena, thwarting quality opportunities to keep the game tied 2-2 until his teammates took over in the second period.
Fleury stopped 30 of 33 shots against the Canucks. During the seven-game homestand that ended Friday, he became the 23rd goalie in NHL history to have at least 20 wins in 10 or more seasons.
“I thought he had another strong game for us,” Knights coach Gerard Gallant said. “He missed a lot of the season early on, and I think he’s real fresh. He likes to play games, and you look at the way the schedule is right now. Game day on, game day off. He’s running on it a little bit and playing really good hockey for us.
“We’ve got two games against Los Angeles back to back and we’ll probably figure it out, but we haven’t talked about it yet. I’m sure (goaltending coach) Dave Prior has an idea and he’s going to tell me, but he hasn’t told me yet.”
Fleury said he and Prior have discussed the possibility of a game off, with Maxime Lagace getting a start. Beginning Monday at the Kings, the Knights have four games in seven days.
“We’ve talked about it,” Fleury said “It’s an open conversation. He’s an easy guy to talk to. I think I can be honest with him, and he’s honest with me, and that’s why I like it.”
Fleury said his play in the first period Friday, during which he faced 16 shots, was an indication that he’s on top of his game.
“It’s nice; it gets you in the game quicker,” he said. “When you feel you are comfortable and make some saves, then you can relax and know you got this, and you will be fine. It’s nice to have a few shots at the beginning.”
The Knights went 5-2 on the homestand and are 41-16-4 with 86 points. They lead the San Jose Sharks, the No. 2 team in the Pacific Division, by 12 points and the Nashville Predators, the No. 2 team in the Western Conference, by three points.
“It was a good stretch here,” Fleury said. “Those are big points from now until the end of the season. Every point matters, and to be able to do that at home, it gains confidence and helps find ways to win games.”
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Contact Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow @stevecarprj on Twitter.