Analysis from VGK Analyst Mike McKenna
On October 17, 2019, Marc-Andre Fleury had already made 34 saves in regulation against the Ottawa Senators, but he saved his best for overtime with this miraculous toe save on Connor Brown.
In 3-on-3 overtime, the game can take on different personalities. Sometimes it's a wide-open track meet, but in this sequence, play slowed down in the Golden Knights defensive zone as the Senators cycled the puck up high near the blueline. As Ottawa crisscrossed, it created just enough separation for Thomas Chabot to find Connor Brown wide open on the back door.
When Brown received the puck and one-timed it towards the goal, he was staring at an open net. Marc-Andre Fleury wasn't covering an inch of space at that moment. But as Fleury has demonstrated so many times during his career, his elite lateral movement always gives him a chance to make the save.
As Chabot glides through the slot towards the Golden Knights net, Fleury has to honor the shot. It's a potential Grade-A opportunity, and as such, Fleury aggressively adjusts his depth forward so his heels are just outside the blue paint. He's giving himself the best chance to make the save on the most dangerous player on the ice: the puck carrier.
But in a split second, everything changes when Chabot threads a pass between Shea Theodore and Jonathan Marchessault. Fleury - having already committed to the shot - is forced to drastic measures, flinging himself towards the post and utilizing his skate's toe cap to deny Brown.
Without question, Marc-Andre's athleticism is the key component to this save. But there's more to it: watch his head. Fleury's eyes track the puck the entire way, initiating body rotation in the blink of an eye. His lateral movement is incredibly explosive yet controlled. Saves like this aren't a fluke: they're the product of countless years of repetition and supreme confidence in one's positioning.
Flower made several more key saves in this overtime, and eventually stopped three of five Ottawa shootout attempts to preserve the Golden Knights victory. Another classic in the storied career of Marc-Andre Fleury.
