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Marc-Andre Fleury Drives Golden Knights to Clutch Game 3 Win vs. Jets

Kyle Newport@@KyleNewportX.com LogoFeatured ColumnistMay 17, 2018

LAS VEGAS, NV - MAY 16:  James Neal #18 of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrates his second period goal against the Winnipeg Jets in Game Three of the Western Conference Finals during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena on May 16, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada.  (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Ethan Miller/Getty Images

The Vegas Golden Knights grabbed a 2-1 series lead over the Winnipeg Jets with a 4-2 victory in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final on Wednesday night.

Vegas got off to a fast start and managed to hold off Winnipeg the rest of the night, thanks to brilliant netminding by Marc-Andre Fleury.

Vegas—who entered the game 33-10-3 at T-Mobile Arena this season—got on the board just 35 seconds into the game. After the Knights forced a turnover in the middle of the ice, Jonathan Marchessault won the race to the puck and got behind the Jets defense. One slick deke later, the home team was already up a goal.

NHL @NHL

Speed, dangles and hustle. There's not much @JMarchessault18 doesn't have. #StanleyCup https://t.co/GcEDaHYUFU

It was Marchessault's seventh goal of the playoffs. It was a good sign for the Golden Knights, as they entered the game 7-1 when scoring first this postseason.

After getting beat early, Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck would settle in. While his team managed just three shots on goal during the opening period, he turned aside nine shots after surrendering an early goal.

Vegas controlled the opening 20 minutes, but with Hellebuyck getting better as the period went on, it was just a one-goal game heading into the intermission.

The Golden Knights had an opportunity to once again strike early in a period after carrying a power play into the second, but Hellebuyck came up big on a fast break in the opening minute.

Winnipeg turned up the pressure on Fleury after the intermission, peppering the net with shots. Eventually, it managed to even the score when Jets captain Blake Wheeler sent the puck toward the net from the boards along the goal line. Mark Scheifele managed to get a stick (and a leg) on the puck to beat Fleury, who had just inched away from the post.

NHL @NHL

Goal #10 on the road for @markscheifele55 and that ties an NHL record for most road goals in a single postseason. #StanleyCup https://t.co/YA7jMrU7Uy

The celebration for Winnipeg would not last long, though. Twelve seconds later, Hellebuyck was caught out of the net:

NHL @NHL

Take advantage of opportunity, no matter how its presented. #StanleyCup https://t.co/jJ5W5J8i0t

Minutes later, the Golden Knights extended the lead:

NHL @NHL

Full send? Alex prefers to call it a full Tuch. #StanleyCup https://t.co/PYJZ1n23y2

Winnipeg nearly chipped into the lead late in the period. Patrik Laine got a shot past Fleury on the power play, but the puck pinged off the post:

Vegas Golden Knights @GoldenKnights

Atta boy Keep being a good boy now https://t.co/ewhaiLimKJ

The game got chippy as the second period went on, with scrums breaking out in front of Fleury on multiple occasions. Neither team has ever been on the doorstep of the Stanley Cup Final, but there was plenty of playoff intensity in this pivotal Game 3 showdown.

There was no quit in the Jets, though. They came out of the locker room ready to play in the third and cut the deficit in half just 18 seconds into the period. Once again, it was Scheifele.

NHL @NHL

Far from over if @markscheifele55 has anything to say about it. #StanleyCup https://t.co/60ujIcrfBR

Scheifele amazingly has 11 goals in seven road contests this postseason compared to "just" three in eight home games. Those 11 road goals are an NHL record for a single postseason, according to the NHL:

NHL @NHL

Lighting lamps and breaking records. @markscheifele55 now holds the NHL record for most road goals in a single postseason with 11. #StanleyCup https://t.co/vMC8JlD9BA

He will have at least two more opportunities to add to his total.

In fact, he had a couple of good looks midway through the third, but Fleury showed why he has lifted the Cup three times:

NHL @NHL

😱 YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!? 😱 https://t.co/FQHrT0SEbv

Fleury finished the game with 33 saves, none more impressive than the pair during that sequence.

Ultimately, an empty-net goal by Marchessault with three seconds to play sealed the game. But as the final horn sounded, yet another scrum broke out, setting the stage for what should be a feisty Game 4.

With the help of home-ice advantage, Vegas held the lead nearly from start to finish. The score was tied for a grand total of 45 seconds. The Jets had plenty of chances in this one, but Fleury was up to the task. He wasn't tested early, but with the game on the line, the 14-year vet was more than ready.

Now, Winnipeg must find a way to rebound. After scoring four of the first five goals in the first 30 minutes of the series en route to a Game 1 victory, the Jets have since been outscored 8-3 over the last 10-plus periods. They can at least feel good about dominating the third period on Wednesday night—but they have still dropped the past two games, losing home-ice advantage as a result.

It's the first time all postseason the Jets have lost back-to-back games or been behind in a series.

The puck drops for Game 4 at 8 p.m. ET on Friday night in Las Vegas.