Golden Knights at Penguins
Marc-Andre Fleury returns to the city he called home for 13 seasons on Tuesday when the three-time Stanley Cup-winning goaltender leads the expansion Vegas Golden Knights into PPG Paints Arena to face the Pittsburgh Penguins. Fleury will be flanked by wife, Veronique, and his two daughters when he receives his championship ring from Penguins owner Mario Lemieux prior to the contest.
"It's tough to know. It's never happened," Fleury said of his expected reaction. "I guess I had a little taste when they were in Vegas, but I'm sure it's going to be a little emotional, a little crazy, a little different, weird from playing all those years on the other side." The 33-year-old Fleury turned aside 24 shots in Vegas' 2-1 triumph over Pittsburgh at T-Mobile Arena on Dec. 14 and enters Tuesday's tilt with wins in each of his last five road outings. Pacific Division-leading Vegas has won five of seven and will look to Fleury to slow down the red-hot Evgeni Malkin, who earned NHL First Star of the Week honors after recording 11 points (eight goals, three assists) in his last four games. The former Hart Trophy recipient scored his team's lone goal on Saturday as the Penguins saw their four-game winning streak halted with a 3-1 setback at New Jersey.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sportsnet1, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, TVAS, AT&T Sportsnet-Rocky Mountains (Vegas), AT&T Sportsnet-Pittsburgh
ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS (35-13-4): While Fleury's return to the Steel City will dominate the headlines, David Perron is also making the rounds as the former Penguins forward has amassed 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in his last nine games. Six of those assists have come on the power play for Vegas, which is a sterling 10-for-17 with the man advantage in their last seven contests. The 29-year-old Perron also set up a goal in the first encounter versus Pittsburgh, with which he spent two seasons (2014-15, 2015-16) before spending time with Anaheim, St. Louis and now Vegas.
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (29-22-3): Patric Hornqvist was labeled by coach Mike Sullivan as week-to-week with a lower-body injury that he sustained during the third period of Friday's 7-4 win over Washington. "It's hard to replace (Hornqvist's) energy, I'll tell you that," Sullivan said. "He brings so much energy to our dressing room, to the bench. It's not quite as vocal when he's not around." Hornqvist's absence likely will be felt on the power play, with the 31-year-old Swede's nine goals tied with fellow forward Phil Kessel for second behind Malkin (13).
OVERTIME
1. Kessel (team-leading 63 points) is in the midst of his NHL-best fifth five-game point streak of the season, during which he has scored two goals and set up seven others.
2. Vegas RW Reilly Smith scored twice in Sunday's 4-3 win over Washington to increase his point total to five (four goals, one assist) in his last four games en route to earning NHL Third Star of the Week honors.
3. Penguins LW Carl Hagelin has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in his last 11 games after recording just six in his previous 42.