Fleury upbeat after Golden Knights lose Game 4 to Capitals in Cup Final

WASHINGTON --Vegas Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury circled off to the side of the net at Capital One Arena on Monday after Devante Smith-Pelly gave the Washington Capitals a three-goal lead with 20.5 seconds left in the first period.
The frustration for Fleury and the Golden Knights only got worse.

Fleury allowed six goals on 23 shots in a 6-2 loss in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Capitals have a 3-1 lead in the best-of-7 series and can win their first championship in Game 5 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVAS, SN).
"Nobody's quitting," Fleury said. "We're going home, we've had some success there. We just have to focus on period at a time, you know? Don't think too far ahead. Just play our game, see where that takes us."
RELATED: [Capitals top Golden Knights in Game 4 | Complete Golden Knights vs. Capitals series coverage]
Fleury was enjoying a Conn Smythe-worthy Stanley Cup Playoffs, but things have changed dramatically against the Capitals. Through the first three rounds, Fleury was 12-3-0 with a .947 save percentage. Through the first four games of the Cup final, his save percentage is .845.
Certainly, Fleury shouldn't shoulder all the blame. When Capitals forward T.J. Oshie scored a power-play goal for a 1-0 lead at 9:54 of the first period, Fleury fought off Evgeny Kuznetsov's initial shot near the post, but Oshie was left alone in front of the open net. Defenseman Michal Kempny was open on a 2-on-1 with forward Nicklas Backstrom when his goal gave the Capitals a 5-2 lead at 13:39 of the third.
It was a result Fleury called, "frustrating and demoralizing." The Golden Knights liked their first period; coach Gerard Gallant said it was their best period of the series despite trailing 3-0.

"Obviously when you're a goalie, you don't want to get scored on," Fleury said. "There was a lot of that tonight. It's never a good feeling, but it's a team game. Everybody's trying hard out there, trying to help me out. We'll find a way to make it work."
Gallant said he never considered pulling Fleury.
"I think, at least five of the six goals were wide-open nets," Gallant said. "Nothing he could do on them."
Fleury doesn't believe fatigue was an issue for the Golden Knights.
"I think everybody's fine," he said. "It's the same for their team also. They've been through the same season, same playoffs. Being tired is no excuse."

The Golden Knights were feeling confident about their game entering the Cup Final. So was Fleury. It's a frustrating time, but they still have an opportunity to rekindle the success they found through the first three rounds.
"First, stay out of the penalty box so we don't give them any chance there," Fleury said. "Second, everyone needs to relax, play our game the way we know we can. Skate and put the puck in the net and don't feed their transition, because they're very dangerous."