Jets at Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights might be an expansion team, but the play of veteran goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury in back-to-back victories has lifted them to a 2-1 lead over the Winnipeg Jets entering Friday’s Game 4 of the Western Conference finals at home. Fleury made 33 saves in a 4-2 victory in Game 3, surviving relentless pressure from the Jets in pushing the first-year club to within two victories of the Stanley Cup finals - a place Fleury reached with Pittsburgh the past two seasons.
Fleury, who leads all remaining goaltenders in postseason save percentage (.945) and goals against average (1.70), admits nobody thought Vegas would play this deep into May, telling reporters after Game 3: “It’s been a long season. It’s been a lot of fun to be a part of. Really proud of this team and the way these guys have been working.” Once again it was forward Jonathan Marchessault who sparked the Golden Knights offense, scoring a pair of goals for the second consecutive game and recording his third-straight two-point night in the series. Meanwhile, the Jets looked sloppy and slow in the initial minutes of Game 3 and allowed a goal on a defensive miscue by goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, but pounded 16 shots at Fleury in the final 20 minutes and came close to tying the score several times. “They’re playing really well because they’re a really good team,” Jets captain Blake Wheeler told reporters after recording two assists in Game 3. “You put yourself in a tough position when you’re down by a couple goals on the road, tough environment against a good team. So, the onus is on us to get off to a better start.”
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, Sportsnet One, TVA
ABOUT THE JETS: Winnipeg did get the dynamic duo from its top line rolling again, as Mark Scheifele scored twice to give him a league-high 14 goals for the playoffs and Wheeler boosted his NHL-best assist total to 17. But second-line forward Nikolaj Ehlers was scratched with an undisclosed injury and the Jets looked out of sorts, as Hellebuyck got caught behind his net while allowing a goal 12 seconds after Scheifele tied the game in the second period. Hellebuyck finished with 26 saves as Winnipeg lost back-to-back games for the first time since mid-March and now trails a postseason series for the first time this spring.
ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS: Marchessault now has 17 points (eight goals) in the playoffs, and along with linemates William Karlsson and Reilly Smith continue to give the Jets defense all kinds of trouble. Playoff veteran James Neal finished with a goal and an assist in Game 3, ending the night plus-3 and leading the Golden Knights with five shots on goal. Fleury made a handful of highlight-worthy saves with Vegas nursing a one-goal lead in the final period, and got plenty of help as the Golden Knights finished with 18 blocked shots and 18 takeaways.
OVERTIME
1. The intensity ramped up in Game 3 as the two teams combined for 89 hits and 40 penalty minutes.
2. Golden Knights F David Perron, who missed the past two games with an undisclosed illness, skated with the team during Thursday’s practice.
3. Vegas F Erik Haula picked up his first point of the series, assisting on Neal’s goal and finishing plus-2 with four takeaways in 13:33.