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May 7 (UPI) -- Marc-Andre Fleury made 28 saves in a 3-0 win, helping the Vegas Golden Knights eliminate the San Jose Sharks from the Stanley Cup playoffs. The shutout came in Game 6 of the Western Conference showdown Sunday at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif.
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"I'm having fun right now," Fleury told reporters. "We are winning games. We are battling. We have a chance every night. It's fun to play with these guys. They give everything they've got every night."
Vegas and San Jose played a scoreless first period, before Jonathan Marchessault finally lit the lamp 6:33 into the second frame. Marc-Edouard Vlasic turned over the puck in front of the Sharks' net on the play. Reilly Smith capitalized by securing the puck and sending a pass to his right, finding Marchessault. The Golden Knights center slid in front of the net and flicked a shot through Martin Jones' five hole.
The Golden Knights added to their tally 15:38 into the period. Nate Schmidt took control of the puck after a face-off. He then hit a wicked wrist shot, hitting the camera at the top of the net. The shot was reviewed before Vegas was awarded the score.
The final score of the game came with just 1:51 remaining. Ryan Carpenter and Cody Eakin skated together on a breakaway, before Eakin received a pass from Carpenter. He slid the puck into the empty net.
Vegas faces the Nashville Predators or Winnipeg Jets in the Western Conference finals.
"I thought it was a great series," Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant said. "It was a six game battle. Tonight, San Jose came out in the first period and they took it to us pretty good ... Fortunately for us, Fleury made some key saves in the first period. Then we got our legs under us a little bit and I thought we played really well after that. Great series. Lots of confidence for a team and it's a great win on the road in six games."
