LAS VEGAS (AP) Jon Merrill's first goal of the season snapped a third-period tie, Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 24 shots against his former team and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 on Thursday night.

It was the first meeting between the defending Stanley Cup champions and Vegas, which acquired Fleury from Pittsburgh during the NHL expansion draft on June 21.

Fleury was taken by Pittsburgh with the No. 1 pick in the 2003 draft.

James Neal scored his 15th goal of the season for Vegas, while Ian Cole scored Pittsburgh's goal.

The matchup between the Penguins and Fleury was arguably the most anticipated game against a former Penguin since Jaromir Jagr played against Pittsburgh on Dec. 11, 2001, for the first time after his trade to Washington.

After missing six straight games due to a lower-body injury, the Penguins activated goalie Matt Murray off injured reserve in time to face his mentor, Fleury.

Murray, who stopped 24 shots, had his personal regulation losing streak extend to four games, the longest of his career.

The Golden Knights became the fastest first-year team to 20 wins in NHL history.

Vegas wasted no time in giving Fleury an early lead, when Neal's rebound off Colin Miller's wrist shot found its way past Murray.

The Penguins tied it when Carl Hagelin found Cole, who beat Fleury top shelf from just behind the goal line for his second goal of the season.

Merrill's one-timer put the Knights ahead with 11 minutes left in the game, slapping Erik Haula's pass beneath Murray's pad.

NOTES

Vegas D Deryk Engelland's next game will be the 500th of his career. ... Engelland, Fleury, James Neal and David Perron have all played for the Penguins during their careers. ... Sidney Crosby is five goals away from notching the 400th in his career. ... Crosby has at least one point in 10 of his last 14 games, with eight goals and 11 assists.

UP NEXT

Pittsburgh: Visits Arizona on Saturday.

Vegas: Hosts Florida on Sunday.

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Just when it looked as though the Edmonton Oilers were rounding into form, Juuse Saros and the red-hot Nashville Predators rolled into town.

The Predators were all over the Oilers from the jump, but it was Saros who held down the fort and secured the shutout win in the face of a 46-shot barrage from Edmonton.

With the performance, Saros recorded the most saves in a shutout in the history of the Nashville Predators.

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Vintage Marc-Andre Fleury.

In his first game against the team he played all his games for prior to this season, the Vegas Golden Knights goaltender absolutely robbed Brian Duoulin by sliding over to get his body in front of the puck.

If it looks familiar, that's because it was very similar to a save he made in the dying seconds of Game 7 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final off the stick of Detroit's Nick Lidstrom to preserve the win.

Here's the two saves side by side:

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Minnesota Wild netminder Alex Stalock hit rock bottom in 2016 when he was buried in the AHL by the Toronto Maple Leafs after being acquired from the San Jose Sharks for goaltender James Reimer.

On Thursday, Stalock proved that revenge is a dish best served on ice, as the 30-year-old veteran backup shut out his former club, blanking the Leafs 2-0 with a 23-save performance.

With Devin Dubnyk out for the next few weeks with a lower-body injury, Stalock should get ample opportunity to prove his haters wrong.

Stalock improves to 5-3-1 on the season with the victory.

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The Philadelphia Flyers' season has had some serious ups and downs.

Thursday's win over the Buffalo Sabres marked the club's fifth in a row, which comes on the heels of a 10-game losing streak that lasted from Nov. 11 to Dec. 2.

Goaltender Brian Elliott has been in net for all five games, allowing no more than two goals in the victories.

Not too long ago, it appeared as though the team's playoff chances were on thin ice.

The win over Buffalo, however, improved Philadelphia's record to 13-11-7, bringing them to within two points of the Eastern Conference's second wild-card spot.

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Tales of the Washington Capitals' demise appear to have been premature.

Following a win over the Boston Bruins on Thursday, the Capitals have won 10 of their last 12 games, improving their record to 20-12-1. Those 41 points have them level with the Columbus Blue Jackets - who also won Thursday - for first in the Metropolitan Division.

The two-time defending Presidents' Trophy winners were expected to take a step or two back this season after some significant roster losses over the summer, and while they're not right at the top of the standings, the Capitals are climbing the ranks due to a recent run of success.

Leading the charge is Alex Ovechkin, who scored again in the win against Boston to put himself on pace for 55 goals, which would be his highest total since 2008-09.

Winger T.J. Oshie has been out since Dec. 4 with an upper-body injury and could return as early as this weekend, giving Washington something else to be optimistic about going forward.

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With Boxing Day right around the corner, Team Canada's roster is beginning to take shape, as the first round of cuts were announced Thursday, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.

The most notable name from the first group of players who won't be making the trip to Buffalo is Vegas Golden Knights 2017 first-round draft pick Cody Glass. The 18-year-old Winnipeg native has 20 goals and 28 assists for the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League this season and was expected to make some noise at camp.

Joining Glass on the plane ride home is Winnipeg Jets first-round pick Logan Stanley, Detroit Red Wings draftee Dennis Cholowski, Vancouver Canucks pick Kole Lind, Florida Panthers prospect Johnathan Ang, and goaltender Samuel Harvey of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the Quebec Major Junior League.

Twenty-seven players remain at selection camp in St. Catherines, Ontario, as the roster closes in on the 23-man group who will be representing the red and white at the end of the month.

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Matt Beleskey is Providence-bound.

The Boston Bruins placed the winger on waivers for the purpose of assigning him to the team's minor-league affiliate in Rhode Island, general manager Don Sweeney announced Thursday.

"Matt was placed on waivers with the hope he will have the opportunity to go to Providence, play in all situations, get his confidence and game back to the level he brought in his first year with the Bruins," Sweeney said.

"Matt has been nothing but an exemplary teammate and pro during the time he has not been in the lineup, but we felt playing would be more beneficial to Matt than practicing, especially with the limited practice time available with regards to our schedule."

Beleskey is in the third season of a five-year, $19-million contract signed with the Bruins in 2015. He recorded 15 goals and 22 assists in his first season with the club, but has managed just three goals and five assists in his past 63 games, with zero points in 14 outings this season.

Injury issues have hindered him over that time, but Beleskey often has been scratched from the lineup this season despite returning to full health.

It's possible he could be claimed off waivers, or traded if not, but his contract makes that unlikely.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins' former No. 1 goaltender and his heir in the crease will square off in a regular-season game for the first time Thursday night.

Marc-Andre Fleury will tend the twine for the Vegas Golden Knights, opposing Matt Murray, who was confirmed Thursday afternoon as the Penguins' starter.

Related: Fleury prepares to face old friends on Penguins

Murray was activated off injured reserve Tuesday after missing six games with an injury. Fleury stopped 35 of 37 shots in Tuesday's shootout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in his return from a 25-game absence that was due to a concussion.

Fleury was the Penguins' starter for their Stanley Cup championship in 2009 and played with Pittsburgh from 2003-04 until last season after selecting him first overall in 2003.

The Golden Knights claimed the veteran in the expansion draft over the summer.

Murray supplanted Fleury as Pittsburgh's No. 1 netminder down the stretch in 2015-16, leading them to another title before doing so again this past June.

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