For the second time in his career, Marc-Andre Fleury will get the start in net at PPG Paints Arena ... against the Penguins.
After 691 games over 13 seasons in a Pittsburgh sweater, it still doesn't quite feel right for Fleury being in the visitor's locker room down the hall from the one in which he spent so many years.
"It is weird," Fleury laughed when asked if there was a chance he might accidentally skate to the home bench in Pittsburgh out of habit. "They took me to this room, so I'm good, right? It's still weird every time I come back, being on this side of the locker room."
Still, he enjoys coming back.
"It's always fun coming back, seeing the guys, the staff," Fleury said. "It's fun. I've had so many good memories in this place. It's always cool to come back."
Fleury made sure he had a little fun before the game, pulling a classic prank on Dan Potash. Some things never change.
Fleury has played against the Penguins three times in the past two seasons. In the first meeting in December 2017, in Las Vegas, the Golden Knights came out on top, 2-1. In February 2018, Fleury made his return to Pittsburgh in an emotional game, and received a standing ovation nearly four minutes long. The Penguins won that game, 5-4. The most recent meeting was in January in Las Vegas, and the Golden Knights won that game, 7-3.
In the Golden Knights' visit to Pittsburgh last season, Malcolm Subban got the start and Fleury sat on the bench as the backup. He's excited to be back on this ice this time.
"I'm looking forward to it," Fleury said. "Those games are a little different against guys I know well. I don't want to be thinking too much about what they do, right? Just trying to stay relaxed and react to what's happening."
Looking back at his first return to Pittsburgh two seasons ago, Fleury seemed to get a little emotional when talking about the ovation he received.
"It was emotional," he said after a deep breath. "I guess I've had so many souvenirs from this place and good relationships with people around Pittsburgh. It meant a lot, it meant a lot. Because I care about this team and this city. To be received like that last time, that was pretty cool."
