Avant-match no 1 – Knights c. Canucks
After the distraction of the situation surrounding their goaltenders, the time has come for the Vegas Golden Knights to return to the ice Sunday night (10:30 p.m.) for Game 1 of their second round series against the Vancouver Canucks.
The Knights reached the Stanley Cup final in their first season of existence, in 2017-18. For their part, the Canucks are in the second round for the first time since 2011. They had lost the final series in seven games to the Boston Bruins.
Despite the controversy created by a tweet by Allan Walsh, Marc-André Fleury’s agent, it seems the Knights are determined to give the start to Robin Lehner. The Swede is said to be in net for a third game in a row, with a 5-1-0 record, a 2.44 goals-against average and a 90.4% save percentage since resuming activities .
Lehner was obtained by the trade deadline of February 24. The latter then defeated the team that traded him, the Chicago Blackhawks, in the first round of the postseason schedule.
For Vancouver, Lehner’s compatriot, Jacob Markstrom, will be in front of the cage for an 11th straight start. It has so far a 7-3 record, with an MBA of 2.44 and an efficiency of 92.9%. The Canucks knocked out the defending defending St. Louis Blues in six games in the first round.
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