VGK head coach Pete DeBoer made the decision to start Robin Lehner in goal and it turned out to be a smart choice. If Vegas is to win this series, they'll need Marc-Andre Fleury to be at his best and the key to Fleury's top gear is a combination of being in sync and fresh. He'll be that on Wednesday night thanks to Lehner stepping in and taking one for the team in Sunday's Game 1.
Lehner had not played since May 3 prior to Sunday. He wasn't at his best. But the edge the Avalanche had on Vegas all over the ice was the larger key to their win. Fleury may have kept it closer due to his being in sync but it's unlikely he could have withstood the barrage the Avalanche were able to mount. It was going to be a loss regardless of who was in net. Playing Fleury wouldn't have changed the outcome but would have added to the toll already taken in the seven games vs. the Wild. It likely would have been a double loss, both in the box score and in the chance to let Fleury get fresh.
As one text message sent to me late Sunday night read, "That was expected. Now with two days off, Vegas can rest and put its real game on the ice Wednesday. Series starts Wednesday."
Maybe. Spotting the Avs a game in a best of seven and a race to four wins isn't ideal. But that's the hand the Golden Knights were dealt.
The Avalanche looked faster than Vegas in Game 1 because they were. But the notion which suggests Vegas is slow is simply wrong. Chandler Stephenson, Alex Tuch, Shea Theodore, William Karlsson and Reilly Smith are all elite skaters. The edge between these two teams in the regular season was minute. The gap will close between Sunday and Wednesday. How far? That's the major storyline in this series.
