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A17
Tuesday 3 december 2019

Net gains:

NHL's load TEX

management

is top goalies

playing less MESS

By STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Hockey Writer
Marc-Andre Fleury plays
when he's told.
How much he plays has
changed.
A decade ago, Fleury
started 61 out of 82 games
before backstopping Pitts-
burgh to the Stanley Cup.
He started 58 and 34 times
on the Penguins' 2016 and
2017 Cup runs splitting time
with Matt Murray, then Brady has frustrating night as
made 46 starts for Vegas
and led the expansion Patriots fall to Texans 28-22
Golden Knights to the final.
"As a player, I love be-
ing in there. I love playing
the game," Fleury said. "It's Houston Texans inside line-
tough to find like the per- backer Benardrick McKin-
fect amount of games. ney (55) celebrates after he
Nowadays, I feel like we're sacked New England Patri-
hearing more than ever
how we're going to man- ots quarterback Tom Brady
age two goalies and stuff." (12) during the second half
Consider it hockey's version of an NFL football game Sun-
of "load management" day, Dec. 1, 2019, in Hous-
that's gained popularity in
basketball. ton.
Don't expect NHL teams to Associated Press
handpick games through- Page 19
out the season to rest star
players — except top goal-
tenders who are getting
more nights off while their
backups share the net with
an eye toward playoff suc-
cess.
Each of the past five Cup-
winning goalies started
fewer than 60 games in the
regular season, along with
three of the past five run-
ners up. The days of Martin
Brodeur starting 78 games
are gone — only three
goalies have 70-plus starts
over the past five seasons
— and teams think year-
round about how to best
prepare to play deep into
June.

Continued on Page 18