Vegas takes the party to Western final
LAS VEGAS 3, SAN JOSE 0
Marc-Andre Fleury made 28 saves in his fourth shutout of the playoffs and the expansion Vegas Golden Knights are headed to the Western Conference final in their inaugural season after beating the San Jose Sharks 3-0 in Game 6 of their secondround series Sunday.
Jonathan Marchessault opened the scoring, Nate Schmidt added an insurance goal and Cody Eakin sealed it with an empty-netter to help Vegas become just the third team in NHL history to win multiple series in its first season.
The Toronto Arenas won the Stanley Cup in the first post-season in league history in 1918 and St. Louis won two rounds to win the all-expansion West Division in 1968.
The Golden Knights relied on a crew of castoffs led by a goalie who was part of three Stanley Cupwinning teams in Pittsburgh before headlining a new team. Fleury posted shutouts in games 1 and 6 against the Sharks and was also spectacular in an overtime win in Game 3.
Next up for Fleury and Vegas will be either Winnipeg or Nashville.
The Sharks had numerous opportunities, but were thwarted by a couple of shots that hit the iron, some acrobatic saves from Fleury and other chances that trickled just wide. This marked the fourth straight post-season for the Sharks that ended with a loss on home ice.
The Golden Knights took control of this game with some good fortune in the second period.
It started when usually reliable Marc-Edouard Vlasic turned the puck over in his own zone. Reilly Smith took control near the blueline and found Marchessault alone in front for a goal that trickled between Martin Jones’ pads.
Vegas nearly added to the lead when Smith had a shot at an open net that San Jose forward Chris Tierney blocked from the crease. But Fleury made sure the Sharks couldn’t capitalize on that momentum when he stopped Tomas Hertl.