Robin Lehner posts shutout as Golden Knights cruise past Canucks in Match 1

It was the first vocation playoff shutout for the perfectly-travelled 29-12 months-outdated Swede, who is now on his fifth NHL group.

“I considered we performed a helluva sport, a real good staff match,” said Lehner.

“Everybody was doing work hard, blocking photographs, backchecking, all the compact factors. It was awesome to occur out robust and start the series powerful.”

Reilly Smith, Jonathan Marchessault, Alex Tuch, Mark Stone, and Max Pacioretty did the scoring, chasing Vancouver starter Jacob Markstrom from the web halfway by way of the remaining interval.

Markstrom, generating his 11th consecutive playoff start off, stopped 29-of-34 shots and was yanked for Thatcher Demko right after allowing the fifth intention.

Observe | Golden Knights crush Canucks in Match 1:

The Canucks had just a little handful of hazardous scoring likelihood. It’s the to start with time they have been shut out considering that shedding 3- to the Minnesota Wild in the first video game of their qualifying sequence.

The score was an precise reflection of the game, with the Golden Knights dominating on the forecheck, pounding and harassing young Canuck defenders Quinn Hughes and Troy Stecher. When Vancouver agitator Antoine Roussel attempted to harass Lehner, Golden Knight heavyweight Ryan Reaves was there to drive back. Markstrom confronted a barrage of high-percentage shots.

“We restricted likelihood and we have been holding pucks in the O-zone, and actually we (managed to) grind them out. It was a fantastic 60 minutes,” claimed Marchessault.

Video game 2 goes Tuesday at Rogers Place.

Canucks’ worst match

Vancouver coach Travis Inexperienced graded it their worst match of the playoffs, but reported they can discover from it and get much better.

“They’ve received a swift crew,” stated Environmentally friendly.

“That may have been component of it. Maybe their pace caught some of our gamers by surprise a minor little bit, where they turned above some pucks. But I unquestionably assume we really should have been far better with the puck, and we have obtained to perform a large amount better if we’re heading to get this sequence.”

Lehner is 9-1 since staying obtained at the trade deadline in a three-team deal such as the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks, and appears to have displaced Marc-Andre Fleury as the starter.

Lehner is finding the lion’s share of the perform in the playoffs. Sunday was his seventh start in contrast with two for Fleury, who has been the face of the young franchise and backstopped them to the Stanley Cup closing in 2018.

Fleury’s agent, Allan Walsh, appeared on Saturday to choose concern with head coach Peter DeBoer’s goaltending selections, tweeting a meme of Fleury on the ice in his Knights’ gear acquiring impaled as a result of the torso from the back again by a broadsword that bore DeBoer’s title.

Fleury dealt with the controversy on a Zoom phone with reporters in advance of the match.

He said he is very tight with Walsh, and asked him to choose the tweet down so it would not turn out to be a distraction. Walsh did so previously Sunday.

“He (Walsh) was just attempting to defend me a bit,” mentioned Fleury.

“We all want to acquire right? Which is why we are right here.

“I will not want to be any distraction for my team.”

Fleury was questioned 2 times if he realized ahead of time Walsh was likely to publish the photo.

He declined to response both of those instances.

Lehner claimed he and Fleury laughed off the controversy — practically.

“It really is usually the media and every person else who make a large deal out of this,” he reported.

“Me and Marc we get along wonderful.

“When this transpired I noticed Marc and we have been just laughing.

“At the end of the working day he failed to do anything at all. It was his agent and if (Walsh) needs to be unprofessional, go ahead. He appears to be like awful.”

Meme concern

DeBoer dismissed the meme difficulty, labelling it, “Outside the house sound that is not heading to play any section of what we’re accomplishing listed here.”

All Western Convention games are staying performed at Rogers Location, with no fans in the stands and players isolating among contests to prevent the unfold of COVID-19.

The Golden Knights, the top rated Western Convention seed, are continuing the torrid enjoy that noticed them go 11-2 ahead of the NHL shut down the common time on March 12 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the return to engage in tournament, Vegas gained all 3 spherical-robin seeding video games and then dispatched the Blackhawks 4-1.

Vancouver sophisticated to the next spherical by beating the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues.