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There’s something magical about the ride the expansion Vegas Golden Knights have been on all season and now it’s going all the way to the Western Conference Final.

Fleury made 28 saves in his fourth shutout of the playoffs and the Golden Knights have made it to the NHL’s final four in their inaugural season after beating the San Jose Sharks 3-0 in Game 6 of their second-round series Sunday.

”It was maybe a little bit of a shock, but I’m proud of our team, our organization, the way they did things here,” Fleury said. ”I’m proud to be where we are right now.”

Fleury, who was part of three Stanley Cup-winning teams in Pittsburgh, is a main reason for the success. He allowed just three goals in a first-round sweep against Los Angeles, posted shutouts in Games 1 and 6 against the Sharks and was also spectacular in an overtime win in Game 3.

He had plenty of help from a crew of castoffs who have come together in Vegas to form a team that has a legitimate shot at a championship. Vegas next will play either Winnipeg or Nashville in the Western Conference Final. The Jets lead that series 3-2 heading into Game 6 on Monday night.

”We deserve to be here,” coach Gerard Gallant said. ”We’re a good team, we play hard and we played well all season long. The two teams we played were very good hockey teams and we were very evenly matched with those teams.”

Jonathan Marchessault opened the scoring, Nate Schmidt added an insurance goal that was only detectable by replay and Cody Eakin sealed it with an empty-netter to help Vegas become just the third team in NHL history to win multiple series in its first season.

The Toronto Arenas won the Stanley Cup in the first postseason in league history in 1918 and St. Louis won two rounds to win the all-expansion West Division in 1968.

The Sharks had numerous opportunities all night but were thwarted by a couple of shots that hit the iron, some acrobatic saves from Fleury and other chances that trickled just wide. This marked the fourth straight postseason for the Sharks that ended with a loss on home ice.

”It’s very disappointing Brian Urlacher Jersey , you get this far and lose, it’s disappointing,” Sharks forward Logan Couture said. ””It’s extra disappointing when you don’t play the way that you know that you’re capable of. … That’s something that’s very difficult to take.”

The Golden Knights took control of this game with some good fortune in the second period. It started when usually reliable Marc-Edouard Vlasic turned the puck over in his own zone. Reilly Smith took control near the blue line and found Marchessault alone in front for a goal that trickled between Martin Jones‘ pads.

The Golden Knights then added to the lead after an icing by Brent Burns led to an offensive zone faceoff. David Perron beat Tierney on the draw and Schmidt took a shot that appeared to deflect off the post and out.

Play went on for 25 more seconds before the buzzer rang, with the situation room in Toronto calling for a video review. That quickly showed that the puck bounced off the post, off a piece equipment inside the net and out.

Vegas then had a delayed celebration for the goal that made it 2-0.

”I had no idea,” Schmidt said. ”I’d never seen something like that happen where they blew the play dead, but when I was skating back to the bench and all the guys were yelling, `It’s in.”’

That was the type of bounce the Sharks didn’t get early in the game when they hit the post or crossbar three times in the opening period and then again in the third when they tried to cut into Vegas’ lead.

They also had several other chances that either Fleury turned aside with acrobatic saves, trickled just wide or they were unable to get a clean shot, like a rebound Couture whiffed on from the slot in the first period with an open net.

”It’s a fine line,” coach Peter DeBoer said. ”I think we had a couple of those that didn’t go in. That’s hockey. But Vegas deserves to be moving on. They played great. They finished the chances when they needed to and got saves when they needed to.”

NOTES: Jones made 30 saves. … Vegas F William Carrier was scratched with a lower-body injury and replaced by Ryan Reaves, who played his first game this postseason.

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VANCOUVER John Kelly Jersey , British Columbia — If any game ever fit the description of a trap game, this one does.

The Anaheim Ducks (39-24-13) will try to make their Pacific Division playoff hopes more secure Tuesday night as they visit the future-focused Vancouver Canucks (27-40-9). In other words, the Ducks will be trying to ensure that they do not become lackadaisical and allow the Canucks to play a part in spoiling their postseason aspirations.

In theory, the Ducks should not be overly worried. They have won five of their past six games.

“We’re sticking with it,” Ducks forward Adam Henrique told The Orange County Register in reference to the team’s work ethic. “It’s not always pretty but good teams find ways to get points and get wins. Right now, that’s all that really matters.”

He hopes the Ducks defense will continue its trend of providing offense. In their last game, defenseman Hampus Lindholm scored 1:21 into overtime to help the Ducks erase two third-period deficits to beat the Oilers 5-4 in Edmonton.

“As soon as our D start moving pucks, we help our forwards out a lot and I think that creates a lot of offense for us and that’s something we have to keep doing more,” Henrique told reporters.

The Ducks will also likely lean heavily on their strong goaltending. Starter John Gibson has posted five wins in his last six games and reached the 30-victory plateau Sunday. In case coach Randy Carlyle wants to give Gibson a rest, he will be comfortable with former Canuck Ryan Miller between the pipes.

The Ducks hope to end a strong road trip with a win over the woeful Canucks, who earned only their second win in the past 10 games when they beat the Stars by a convincing 4-1 count in Dallas on Sunday.

But the Canucks and their fans will likely be thinking more about the future and their fans after highly touted prospect Adam Gaudette signed a three-year National Hockey League entry contract with the club Monday following the completion of his college season with the Northeastern Huskies.

“Adam has had a remarkable season and college career playing at Northeastern,” said Canucks general manager Jim Benning in a release. “He’s a very talented player and has shown an ability to score Sammie Coates Jersey , make plays and contribute in all situations at the collegiate level. We’re excited to have him join our team and continue his development as a professional.”

It remains to be seen whether Gaudette, a 21-year-old Braintree, Mass., native will play Tuesday or later in the week. Gaudette was originally drafted by Vancouver in the fifth round, 149th overall in 2015.

Despite the late selection, he led the NCAA in scoring with 60 points (30-30-60) in 38 games with the Northeastern and is a finalist for the Hoby Baker award. He ranked first in the NCAA in goals (30), points per game (1.58) and power-play points (27). In addition, the 6-foot-1 and 184-pound center was named the 2018 Hockey East Player of the Year, the Beanpot tournament MVP and garnered several other monthly and weekly accolades.

In 116 career games for Northeastern from 2015 to 2018, Gaudette registered 142 points (68-74-142) — numbers that greatly appeal to the offensively challenged Canucks. The question now is whether he can produce at the NHL level. But former Northeastern linemate Dylan Sikura, a Chicago Blackhawks prospect, thinks he can.

“He’s a good team guy — every night you know what you’re getting from him Jamie Collins Jersey ,” Sikura told Postmedia. “It’s his passion for the game. He’s pretty uncanny, and I don’t think there are a lot of guys in the NCAA who like putting the puck in the back of the net like he does.

“Every night he brings the heat. He leads by example in the way he plays — a full 200-foot game, and he’ll block shots and do the little things to help the team out.”

Gaudette will be measured against injured Canucks rookie Brock Boeser, who exceled in nine games with Vancouver after signing out of college last spring and encroached 60 points this season before he was sidelined for the season with a back injury.

“(Gaudette) is an exciting young prospect for us,” Canucks coach Travis Green told Postmedia. “He plays with energy. He’s a guy we’re really excited to have.”

Green believes Boeser gained from playing with the Canucks late last season and thinks Gaudette can do likewise with the rebuilding squad late in this campaign.

“If you look at Brock, it’s an example of how any time you come to a new league, it’s an eye opener,” Green said. “Not only that, from our standpoint to get to see (Gaudette) would be a benefit.”