Vegas’ rise tied to taking Fleury
The Vegas Golden Knights turned their expansion season into a special one by making a lot of good decisions.
Like the addition of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.
“He makes an expansion team not be an expansion team,” Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said.
No one outside the organization expected the Pacific Division-leading Golden Knights to be this good so fast. With less than a month left in the regular season, they easily have the largest divisional lead and are chasing Nashville for the most points in the Western Conference.
The odds are not long that Vegas could hoist the Stanley Cup.
“The expectations weren’t high, but we all thought we could be better and we showed it,” Fleury said after his 47th career shutout, a 4-0 win in Detroit. “Sometimes earlier in the season, I would wonder, ‘Wow. Are we really still in that position?’ And, we kept winning and holding strong in the standings.”
Fleury has a lot to do the startling success.
Pittsburgh left him unprotected in the expansion draft after he waived his no-movement clause, allowing the Penguins to keep 23-year-old Matt Murray after he led the franchise to its second straight Stanley Cup championship.
“I had a good idea it was going to happen, but you’re never sure until your name is called,” Fleury said. “I was still in a shock for me and my family. But the organization in Vegas from the staff, the coaches, the GM, the owner, was very welcoming and helped us with the transition.”
The Penguins even gave Vegas a second-round pick in 2020 to take Fleury, who had two years and more than $11 million left on his contract. He has provided a return on the investment.
“The fit has been perfect,” Golden Knights general manager George McPhee said. “His leadership was something we wanted for our locker room.”
Fleury ranks among the league leaders with career bests in goalsagainst average (2.15) and save percentage (.930). He also became a three-time all-star this season.
“I feel pretty good, but my teammates have been good in front of me,” he said. “By blocking shots and clearing rebounds away, that makes me look better.”
Fleury has won 25 of 37 starts in a season stunted only by a concussion that kept him out of the lineup for two months. Earlier this week, he became the 13th goaltender in NHL history to win 400 games, trailing just Roberto Luongo and Henrik Lundqvist among active players.
“At the start of the year, he was our best player,” Vegas forward David Perron said.
“When he got hurt, we found out we had a really good team because we kept winning. Then, we got him back and we took another step and we haven’t stopped.” Edmonton hosted in 2007 and 2017.
Top teams Virginia. The old cliche of defence wins championships could come true this year. The lockdown Cavaliers are that good on D.
Villanova. Forget about some of the recent early NCAA exits. Jay Wright and the Wildcats have that national-title look again.
Xavier. The Musketeers are dynamic and have one of the best players in the country in Trevon Bluiett.
Kansas. A record 14th straight Big 12 title, a tournament championship to go with it and Devonte Graham. Don’t bet against Bill Self and the Jayhawks.
North Carolina. The defending national champions are poised for another deep run.
Top players
Trae Young, Oklahoma. The Sooners may have struggled down the stretch, but Young is the type of player capable of a Steph Curry-like run.
Deandre Ayton, Arizona. The Bahamian big man has been called a unicorn and a cyborg. He may be the most physically dominating player in the field.
Marvin Bagley III, Duke. long, so athletic, so good.
Trevon Bluiett, Xavier. A quiet star who does nothing but make big plays and win games.
Jalen Brunson, Villanova. The Bluiett description fits the Wildcats’ guard as well.
Devonte Graham, Kansas. The Jayhawks’ dynamic leader is a big reason the school won the Big 12 again and could make another deep run.
Top games Arkansas vs. Butler, Friday in Detroit. Arkansas has one of the best resumes for beating ranked teams, taking down five this season. The Bulldogs always seem to find a way to go deep in the bracket and have won six straight NCAA Tournament openers.
Wichita State vs. Marshall, Friday in San Diego. The Shockers are loaded with talent. Dan D’Antoni’s offence may be more freewheeling and frenetic than
■ So his brother Mike’s.
Missouri vs. Florida State, Friday in Nashville. The return of star freshman Michael Porter Jr. adds an extra dose of intrigue.
Kentucky vs. Arizona, Saturday in Boise. Get by their opening games and we get the treat of Ayton against the Wildcats freshmen, two national powerhouses going head to head early in the bracket. Yes, please.
Potential upsets
No. 10 Oklahoma vs. No. 7 Rhode Island, Midwest Region, Thursday in Pittsburgh. Any team with Trae Young is capable of pulling off an upset — he could pull it off by himself.
No. 10 Providence vs. No. 7 Texas A&M, West Region, Thursday in Charlotte. The Friars already have one massive upset in March, taking down Xavier in the Big East semifinals. The Aggies have been inconsistent this season, dropping from the program’s highest ranking (No. 5) before going 9-9 through the SEC.
No. 5 Clemson vs. No. 12 New Mexico State, Midwest Region, Friday in San Diego. Both teams are superb defensively, which should mean a low-scoring game - and the potential for an upset.
No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 12 South Dakota State, West Region, Thursday in Boise. The Buckeyes will have a 12-day gap between games before facing the Summit League-champion Jackrabbits, who have one of the nation’s best big men in six-footnine forward Mike Daum.
No. 6 Houston vs. No. 11 San Diego State, West Region, Thursday in Wichita, Kansas. The Aztecs carry a nine-game winning streak into the NCAA Tournament after beating New Mexico in the Mountain West Conference Tournament. Houston knocked off Wichita State before losing to Cincinnati by one in the American Athletic Conference title game Sunday.
Distances
Every year, some teams get the benefit of playing close to home, while others are forced to make long treks. Some of the longest and shortest this year:
College of Charleston vs. Auburn in San Diego. Pretty much the entire length of the country, about 2,500 miles.
Clemson vs. New Mexico State in San Diego. Maybe the Tigers can hitch a ride from the Cougars.
Cal-State Fullerton in Detroit. Nearly 2,000 miles or about 32 hours by car, for any fans thinking of driving. Better start now.
Michigan State vs. Bucknell in Detroit. It will be a quick 90-minute ride for the Spartans.
North Carolina vs. Lipscomb, Charlotte. The Tar Heels are 33-1 playing the NCAA Tournament in their home state and the ride to Charlotte is only about three hours.