Fleury hot in net, but Hawks fall in OT
With the NHL trade deadline less than a week away it's possible Marc-Andre Fleury made his final start for the Blackhawks during a 2-1 overtime loss to Boston at the United Center on Tuesday.
And if that's the case, what a way to go out.
Fleury dazzled and delighted the home crowd all night, turning away 46 shots, and earning a "Fleury! Fleury! Fleury!" chant from a chunk of fans in the 300 section after a sequence of amazing stops late in the second period.
"He's been terrific all year," said forward Brandon Hagel. "He's won us probably half of our games. He's been the stud of this hockey team. Wish we could have gotten two points for him there. He definitely deserved it."
Fleury turned away 14 shots in the first period, a whopping 21 in the second, 10 in the third and 1 more in overtime. He came 1 save of tying his career high in saves, which was set in 2008 in Pittsburgh's 2-1 OT loss to New Jersey.
"When he's on like that, he's fun to watch," said coach Derek King.
Boston (37-18-5) prevailed when defenseman Matt Grzelcyk one-timed a shot past Fleury with 3:20 remaining in OT. The Bruins have won 10 of 12.
The Hawks (22-30-9) were outshot 78-42 overall and 48-20 in shots on goal, but Alex DeBrincat had a golden opportunity to break a scoreless tie with 18:38 remaining when the puck found its way to him just 25 feet away from the net. After a couple of quick moves DeBrincat dished to a charging Hagel, but Charlie McAvoy squelched the chance by tying up Hagel's stick.
"Sometimes you make a decision and you come back to the bench, (and know) it's the wrong one," King said. "I'd like to see our guys shoot a little more, even if it is from the outside."
The Bruins opened the scoring at 4:43 of the third period when Patrice Bergeron swatted a floating puck past a splayed-out Fleury.
The lead didn't last five minutes, however, as the Hawks tied it when Hagel tipped in a long blast from Caleb Jones at 9:36. It was Hagel's 21st goal of the season and Jones' fifth assist in his last 14 games.
Hawks sign Vlasic:
The Hawks signed defenseman Alex Vlasic to a three-year, entry-level deal Tuesday. The 6-foot-6 native of Wilmette scored 8 points and had 51 blocked shots in 32 games for Boston University this season. The Hawks selected Vlasic in the second round (43rd overall) in 2019. He is scheduled to join the team Thursday.
Lending a hand:
The Blackhawks joined the NHL's efforts to support the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and other organizations to help children and families in Ukraine, and to prepare for refugee outflows into neighboring countries. Before Tuesday's game, a local choir from the St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Church performed "Prayer for Ukraine" on the United Center ice.
A portion of Tuesday's Split-the-Pot proceeds were donated to UNICEF.