Reaves, Fleury lift Golden Knights over Stars

[March 16, 2019]  Ryan Reaves scored the game-winner early in the third period, and Marc-Andre Fleury had 40 saves for his league-leading 35th victory as the visiting Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Dallas Stars, 2-1, on Friday night.

Max Pacioretty also scored for Vegas, which improved its lead over fourth-place Arizona to six points in the Pacific Division with its seventh win in its last eight games. Fleury extended his personal winning streak to six games, during which he has allowed a total of five goals.

Roope Hintz scored for Dallas, which lost for just the second time in eight games. The Stars, playing the second half of a back-to-back that started with a 4-1 win at Minnesota on Thursday night, didn't land in Dallas until 2:30 in the morning.

Anton Khudobin had 35 saves, including a penalty shot by William Karlsson. Khudobin was playing for the second straight night after Ben Bishop, who hasn't allowed a goal in a franchise record 230 minutes and 53 seconds, left Thursday night's win over the Wild early in the second period with a lower-body injury.

The Golden Knights, coming off a four-day break following a 6-3 loss at Calgary on Sunday night, needed just 18 seconds to take a 1-0 lead. Pacioretty took a pass from Paul Stastny at the top of the slot and then fired a wrist shot through the pads of Khudobin for the fastest goal to start a road game in franchise history.

Dallas tied it four minutes later when Hintz stole the puck from defenseman Deryk Engelland just inside the Vegas blue line and then went in and backhanded a shot through Fleury's pads for his ninth goal of the season.

Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) and Dallas Stars right wing Alexander Radulov (47) look for the puck during the second period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Vegas had a chance to take the lead again early in the second period when Esa Lindell was called for holding Karlsson from behind on a breakaway, but Khudobin made a left-pad save on Karlsson's wrist shot from the slot on the ensuing penalty-shot try.

Reaves scored the game-winner early in the third period, banging in a rebound of a Pierre-Edouard Bellemare shot for his ninth goal of the season and first since Jan. 6 against New Jersey.

Dallas, which went 0 for 5 on the power play, fell to 3-7 in the second half of back-to-back games.

--Field Level Media

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