What Goalie Controversy? Golden Knights Shut Out Vancouver To Win First Game In Second Round Series Sunday
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
Nothing like a dominating Game 1 playoff win to soothe a red-hot goalie controversy fueled by a player agent’s outrageous tweet and graphic picture the day before.
The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Vancouver Canucks, 5-0, to grab the first game of the Best-of-7 Round Two series.
It came a day after goalie Marc-Andre Fleury’s agent posted an inflammatory tweet expressing his displeasure that VGK coach Pete DeBoer is starting Robin Lehner over Fleury, a future Hall-of-Famer and three-time Stanley Cup champ. Early in the first period, game broadcaster NBCSN even addressed the volatile tweet posted by Fleury’s agent, Allan Walsh. Walsh’s tweet showed a sword piercing Fleury in the back with “DeBoer” scrawled on the sword. The Fleury-getting-stabbed-in-the-back pic was a hot topic of conversation for VGK fans this weekend.
But the Knights’ shutout win eclipsed the Fleury-Lehner soap opera Sunday night as Jonathan Marchessault opened the scoring for the Golden Knights in period one thanks to some scrappy work behind the Canucks net by Marchy’s line pal, Reilly Smith, whose two-way game is making him one of the best forwards in the West. It was the start of a dominant performance by the Knights over the Canucks. Lehner is now 6-1 in the postseason.
Lehner said he used to competing with goalies with teams like Chicago and the Islanders and the situation with Fleury comes with playing in the NHL. “It’s just part of the game,” Lehner told reporters after the game.
VGK coach Pete DeBoer said after the game the chatter about the Lehner-Fleury situation is “outside noise.” He added, “All that stuff is noise to us.”
Vancouver eliminated the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues in the first round and have several stars-in-the-making.
But they looked tentative through stages of the game, which included Smith banging home a rebound on the power play to give the Knights a 2-0 lead in period two. Then it was forward Mark Stone with a clever redirect off a Nate Schmidt shot to extend the VGK lead to 3-0.
Forward Alex Tuch used his speed to chase down a pick and flip a goal home to make it 4-0 in the second period.
The Knights looked fresh on the ice after having time off since Tuesday when VGK eliminated the Chicago Blackhawks. Max Pacioretty poured in the VGK’s fifth goal in period three. Vancouver goalie Jacob Markstrom gave up five goals on 34 shots before he was pulled.
Game 2 is Tuesday at the Rogers Place arena in the pandemic playoff Bubble in Edmonton. The Knights’ dominating performance put the goalie chatter to rest — for one night at least.
Here’s the NHL’s game roundup:
Following LVSportsBiz.com on Twitter and Instagram. Like LVSportsBiz.com on Facebook. Buy Alan Snel’s new book, Bicycle Man: Life of Journeys.
