Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Marc-André Fleury shut out the Montreal Canadiens 2-0 on Thursday night at the Bell Center to record the 500th win of his career in the National Hockey League.
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Only three doormen have now reached this legendary plateau. Two other Quebecers did so before the Sorelois, Martin Brodeur (691) and Patrick Roy (551). Fleury achieved this feat in his 901st career game.
The 37-year-old goalkeeper blocked all 27 throws from CH players to secure his second shutout of the season and his 69th overall. From the final whistle, all his teammates came to celebrate on the ice with him, while the Montreal crowd rose to cheer Fleury.
As for the Canadian, Jake Allen did not have much to be ashamed of, he who did the job by stopping 23 pucks. His supporters haven’t always helped him, however.
The New Brunswicker first gave in in the second period, as the Habs allowed a first goal in their last 13 shorthands. Posted to the left of Allen’s cage, Jonathan Toews went with a clever deflection. The Blackhawks captain has finally found the back of the net this season after running out of 26 games.
In the third period, Alexander Romanov made a terrible turnaround when he handed the puck to Henrik Borgstrom in front of his own goaltender. The Finn was quick to beat Allen with a quick shot.
This is the fifth consecutive loss for the men of Dominique Ducharme. The head coach has to deal with a lot of injuries within his roster. Recalled from the Laval Rocket the day before, Jesse Ylonen made his debut this season with the CH.
The Canadian will play its next game on Saturday against the Blues in St. Louis.