3 Keys: Golden Knights vs. Canucks, Game 6 of Western Second Round

No. 1 Golden Knights vs. No. 5 Canucks
9:45 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS
Vegas leads best-of-7 series, 3-2

The Vegas Golden Knights can advance to the Western Conference Final for the second time in their first three seasons if they defeat the Vancouver Canucks in Game 6 of the Western Conference Second Round at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Thursday.
It will be the second chance for the Golden Knights to close the best-of-7 series. They lost 2-1 in Game 5 on Tuesday in Edmonton, the West hub city.
Canucks rookie goalie Thatcher Demko made 42 saves in Game 5 in his first Stanley Cup Playoff start. Jacob Markstrom, who started the first 14 postseason games for Vancouver, was unfit to play. As part of the NHL Return to Play Plan, a team is not permitted to disclose player injury or illness information.
Demko has a 0.88 goals-against average and .979 save percentage in two NHL postseason games. He made the save on the five shots he faced in 8:26 of relief in his NHL playoff debut in Game 1 against Vegas on Aug. 23, a 5-0 loss, after Markstrom allowed five goals on 34 shots.
Canucks coach Travis Green did not name a starting goalie for Game 6.
"We know they're going to come out hard," Vancouver defenseman Tyler Myers said. "Teams always do respond coming in after a loss. We know we're going to get their best, so we're going to have to make sure we elevate our game."
Teams that win Games 5 and 6 after trailing a series 3-1 are 29-28 (50.8 percent) winning a best-of-7 NHL playoff series.
Here are 3 keys for Game 6:

1. Golden Knights' goalie decision

Coach Peter DeBoer did not say if Robin Lehner or Marc-Andre Fleury would be the starting goalie in Game 6.
Lehner started and made 15 saves in Game 5, after Fleury made 28 saves in a 5-3 win in Game 4 on Sunday, the second of a back-to-back. If needed, Game 7 of this series is scheduled as part of a back-to-back Friday.
"You know what, I'll be honest with you, I'm not even thinking about [Game 7]," DeBoer said. "We'll think about [Game 7] if we need to think about [Game 7]."
Lehner is 7-3-0 with a 2.08 GAA, a .918 save percentage and two shutouts in 10 postseason games. Fleury is 3-0-0 with a 2.67 GAA and .893 save percentage in three games.

2. Generating chances

The Golden Knights weren't rewarded but were pleased with their effort in Game 5, when they had 43 shots on goal and 79 shot attempts (13 blocked).
"I think if we're in front of [the goalie's] eyes, then we get second and third chances, and more importantly it's harder for Demko or Markstrom, or whoever plays in net, to kind of control the rebounds," Vegas forward Paul Stastny said. "All these goalies are good and whatever they see, they're going to stop, unless it's a screen or second and third chance, whether it's off a rebound or a deflection."

3. Miller time

J.T. Miller has had an assist on the past six Vancouver goals dating to Game 2 of the series.
He matched the NHL playoff record for the longest stretch of consecutive team goals with an assist in a single postseason, joining Henrik Sedin (2011, Canucks), Denis Savard (1992, Montreal Canadiens), Doug Gilmour (1986, St. Louis Blues) and Don McKenney (1958, Boston Bruins).
"[Miller's] brought a lot of different attributes to our team," Green said. "He's probably never been in this type of role where he was one of the key figures on the ice playing a first-line role (with Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser).
"He's grabbed the bull by the horns, off ice as well, and taken a leadership approach with our group. He wants to win badly, and I think for a young team you need a few of those guys around that are very competitive and skilled."

Golden Knights projected lineup

Max Pacioretty -- William Karlsson -- Mark Stone
Jonathan Marchessault -- Paul Stastny -- Reilly Smith
Nick Cousins -- Nicolas Roy -- Alex Tuch
William Carrier -- Chandler Stephenson -- Ryan Reaves
Alec Martinez -- Shea Theodore
Brayden McNabb -- Nate Schmidt
Nick Holden -- Zach Whitecloud
Robin Lehner
Marc-Andre Fleury
Scratched: Dylan Coghlan, Oscar Dansk, Reid Duke, Deryk Engelland, Nicolas Hague, Keegan Kolesar, Peyton Krebs, Jon Merrill, Gage Quinney, Patrick Brown
Unfit to play: Tomas Nosek

Canucks projected lineup

J.T. Miller -- Elias Pettersson -- Brock Boeser
Tanner Pearson -- Bo Horvat -- Tyler Toffoli
Antoine Roussel -- Adam Gaudette -- Brandon Sutter
Tyler Motte -- Jay Beagle -- Jake Virtanen
Alexander Edler -- Troy Stecher
Quinn Hughes -- Chris Tanev
Oscar Fantenberg -- Tyler Myers
Thatcher Demko
Louis Domingue
Scratched: Olli Juolevi, Justin Bailey, Jalen Chatfield, Tyler Graovac, Brogan Rafferty, Loui Eriksson, Jordie Benn, Jake Kielly](https://www.nhl.com/player/jake-kielly-8481478)
Unfit to play: Micheal Ferland, Josh Leivo, Jacob Markstrom, Michael DiPietro

Status report

Kielly, a goalie who played in 24 games this season with Kalamazoo of the ECHL and two games with Utica of the American Hockey League, was recalled by the Canucks when DiPietro, a goalie, was ruled unfit to play.