Current and former Golden Knights goalies helped lead 3 teams to NHL playoffs
LAS VEGAS AP Marc-Andre Fleury was on the bench the last time the Wild visited Vegas but when he appeared on the video board late in that Jan event the crowd cheered and chanted his name as if he had just made a save to help put the Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final It was to be Fleury s last challenge at T-Mobile Arena unless Minnesota faced the Golden Knights in the NHL playoffs Well The teams open their first-round series Sunday night and Fleury and his Wild teammates will be back in the building Like that January match however Fleury likely will be on the bench but his mere presence is a reminder of Vegas goalies tree that is making its mark heading into the postseason Adin Hill will try to lead the Golden Knights to their second Stanley Cup title in three years Logan Thompson who was traded to Washington last summer is a major reason the Capitals captured the top seed in the Eastern Conference They ve had a lot of good goalies come through this locker room Hill disclosed A lot of good players too The roster general manager Kelly McCrimmon is able to put together every year is impressive If Fleury remains arguably the the greater part popular participant in the Golden Knights short history Hill rapidly became a fan favorite by doing something even Flower didn t accomplish help lead Vegas to the championship Now he will try to do it again You ve kind of been there done it right Hill reported Nice to have that experience under the belt but a fresh slate this year It s a new season I m just getting ready for that first competition This is the first time Hill enters the posteason as the Golden Knights unquestioned starter He was down the depth chart two years ago when injuries ravaged the position and Vegas was the only band to have five goalies win multiple games Then when Laurent Brossoit went down in Contest of their second-round series against Edmonton Hill came in and his hot play was a key reason the Golden Knights wound up hoisting the Stanley Cup Hill and Thompson shared starting duties last season Thompson entered the playoffs as the starter before he was replaced by Hill in Competition of the first-round series against Dallas He finished the series which Vegas lost in seven games but Hill gave up just five goals over those final three games There a lot of first times for Adin this year Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy noted Fifty games A complete healthy year Signs an extension So there s a lot of that Hey I m the guy Hill went - - this season with a save percentage and goals-against average He was a backup goalie on Canada s Nations unit and since that tournament Hill has gone - - with a percentage and GAA The Golden Knights awarded him in March with a six-year million extension That came about six weeks after the Capitals handed Thompson a six-year million contract Thompson is in DC because he sought the chance to be the clear No starter and Vegas accommodated him with the business last summer for a pair of third-round picks Thompson won of his starts before an upper-body injury in early April cut short his career-best season He s had a phenomenal year a big reason for our success and earned himself a long-term contract from the organization coach Spencer Carbery disclosed The Capitals could get Thompson back in the playoffs He has been skating on his own and it hasn t been disclosed who will be in the crease when Washington hosts Montreal in Event on Monday night Charlie Lindgren has a save percentage since taking over for Thompson Should Thompson meet his old club this postseason it be in the final which would be a rematch from when the Capitals won in five games Fleury won t have to wait as along and in fact will take part in practice Saturday at the Golden Knights facility As for indeed getting into a battle Fleury might find himself in the same spot as that January trip to T-Mobile with Filip Gustavsson was on the ice and stopped shots in the Wild s - loss Fleury who spent four seasons with the Golden Knights including that - unit that reached the Stanley Cup Final has as big of a setup of fellow goalies as there is in the match given his years of experience He played with Thompson during the - season Yeah for sure it s fun to see them do different things It s consistently good noted Fleury who is expected to retire after this season Sometimes when you warm up you get a chance to say hi or catch up a little bit after games in the hallways and stuff I love hockey and I watch highlights and stuff I like to see those guys I played with and how they re doing Both teams met in the first round of the playoffs in a series that went the distance Fleury playing for the Golden Knights made saves in Championship of Vegas - preeminence They had Flower and now we ve got Flower Wild forward Marcus Foligno declared so maybe that s the lucky charm we ve got this time AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno in Washington and AP Sports Writer Dave Campbell in St Paul Minnesota contributed to this statement AP NHL https apnews com hub nhl Source
