5 questions for Golden Knights in Stanley Cup Qualifiers

NHL.com is looking ahead to the Stanley Cup Qualifiers by examining five of the biggest questions facing each of the 24 remaining teams. Today, we look at the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Vegas Golden Knights were 39-24-8 (.606 points percentage) and will enter the Stanley Cup Qualifiers as one of the top four teams in the Western Conference. They will play a round-robin against the St. Louis Blues (42-19-10, .662), Colorado Avalanche (42-20-8, .657) and Dallas Stars (37-24-8, .594) for seeding in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The West qualifiers will start Aug. 1 at Rogers Place in Edmonton.

Here are 5 key questions facing the Golden Knights:

1. Will Mark Stone come back on top of his game?

Stone led the Golden Knights in scoring during the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season with 12 points (six goals, six assists) in seven games. The forward was leading them in scoring this season with 63 points (21 goals, 42 assists) in 65 games through Feb. 26, then missed six games because of a lower-body injury before the NHL paused the season March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. The pause gave him a chance to rest and rehab. When he returned for voluntary, limited small-group workouts, he said he was 100 percent.

2. What about Max Pacioretty and Alex Tuch?

Pacioretty and Tuch also were battling injuries when the season was paused but now reportedly are 100 percent. Pacioretty was second to Stone in scoring during the playoffs last season with 11 points (five goals, six assists) in seven games; Tuch scored two points (one goal, one assist) in seven games. Pacioretty passed Stone and led Vegas in scoring this season with 66 points (32 goals, 34 assists) in 71 games; Tuch scored 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in 42 games. If Pacioretty and Stone are back in top form, they can drive the offense. If Tuch is too, he can provide valuable scoring depth.

3. How does coach Peter DeBoer handle the goalies?

Marc-Andre Fleury is the face of the franchise. He has been with the Golden Knights since the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft and played a huge role in the run to the 2018 Stanley Cup Final, where they lost in five games to the Washington Capitals. But the Golden Knights acquired Robin Lehner from the Chicago Blackhawks on Feb. 24, giving them two starting-caliber goalies. Fleury went 27-16-5 this season with a 2.77 goals-against average and .905 save percentage in 49 games. Lehner went 3-0-0 with a 1.67 goals-against average and .940 save percentage in three games with Vegas before the pause. That's a small sample size, but DeBoer will have only small sample sizes to judge during training camp and the round-robin.

4. Can DeBoer go all the way?

DeBoer replaced the fired Gerard Gallant on Jan. 15. The Golden Knights went 4-3-2 in their first nine games under him, then 11-2-0 in their next 13 before the pause. In five NHL playoff appearances, DeBoer has gone 46-38, winning nine of 14 rounds, advancing to the conference final three times and reaching the Stanley Cup Final twice. His playoff winning percentage (.548) puts him right with Cup winners Mike Babcock (.549), Joel Quenneville (.549) and Claude Julien (.548). But he has not won the Stanley Cup, at least not yet.

5. Will Vegas miss the fans more than any other team?

Since the Golden Knights entered the NHL in 2017-18, they have gone 9-4 at home, the best record (.692 winning percentage) among teams that have played more than seven home playoff games. The atmosphere at T-Mobile Arena is usually like none other, including showgirls against the glass in the visitors' end during warmup, elaborate pregame shows to whip up the crowd and fans in glittery Vegas garb. That won't be the case during the round-robin and Stanley Cup Playoffs, no matter which hub city the Golden Knights play in. With no fans in the stands, with none of that energy off which to feed, will the Golden Knights lose some of their edge?