Vegas Golden Knights: Lehner shines on debut, other takeaways
The Vegas Golden Knights gave Robin Lehner a win on his debut after beating the Buffalo Sabres 4-2 at T-Mobile Arena on Friday night.
After being acquired in a blockbuster trade from the Chicago Blackhawks at the Trade Deadline, Lehner made an instant impact in his first start for the Vegas Golden Knights.
He stopped 32 of the 34 shots fired at him as the Golden Knights extended their winning streak to a season-high eight games.
However, the Knights were guilty again of starting slow as Dominik Kahun ripped a shot from the slot area past Lehner after the defense coughed up a cheap turnover.
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Nicolas Roy made it a tied game midway through the first period, though, after the forward latched onto a feed from Nick Cousins before deking Carter Hutton and beating the Sabres goalie.
It was an even second period with both teams doing a good job of stifling each other, before the contest really exploded in the third period.
And it was the Golden Knights who really took control of the game as William Karlsson tipped in a Max Pacioretty dish on the doorstep to make it a one-goal game.
Reilly Smith then strengthened Vegas’ grip on the contest moments later after skating behind the net before putting a wraparound behind Hutton.
And the game was iced in the waning minutes as Smith recorded his second goal of the game, sending the puck into an empty-net to make it eight straight wins.
Jeff Skinner did make it a two-goal game after banking in a puck off Lehner and into the net, but it was too little too late for the Sabres as the Vegas Golden Knights continue to strength their grip on the Pacific Division.
We had some takeaways from the game…
1. Lehner’s Debut Joy
It was the moment we had all been waiting for since the NHL Trade Deadline.
After the Vegas Golden Knights had pulled the trigger on a monster trade for goalie Robin Lehner from the Chicago Blackhawks, the next step was to see the 28-year-old in action.
And Lehner didn’t disappoint.
Making his debut against the Buffalo Sabres, Lehner played a vital role in the Golden Knights tying a franchise record for most consecutive wins with eight.
Despite allowing a goal on the first shot he faced, Lehner was strong throughout and he rebounded from that early setback, going on to stop eight of the first nine shots flung in his direction.
Lehner went on to stop 32 shots in total on what was a busy night, making it a debut to remember for the Golden Knights.
It was an impressive first outing for the goalie who gives the Golden Knights one of the best netminding tandems in the entire National Hockey League.
And, given that you need elite goaltending in order to win championships, the Vegas Golden Knights have now given themselves plenty of insurance behind Marc-Andre Fleury.
2. Smith has the golden touch
It has been a hell of a year for Reilly Smith.
While he may not grab the headlines that some of his teammates attract, Smith is Mr. Consistent for the Vegas Golden Knights.
And he has been an absolute force this year, coming up clutch for his team when they have needed him most.
It was another potent night in-front of the net for Smith, who finished with two goals to take his goals total to 27 for the year.
In doing so, Smith has already equalled the previous career-high (25) he set in goals in 2015-16 for the Florida Panthers, with still over a month of the regular season to go.
Smith has emerged as one of the Golden Knights’ most consistent weapons this year, and he was his deadly self against the Sabres.
On his first goal, Smith picked up the puck and skated behind the net before beating Carter Hutton on the wraparound, while he showed silky hands to deke around a Sabres player before scoring an empty-netter for his second goal of the game.
With Alex Tuch, Cody Glass and Mark Stone all out, the Vegas Golden Knights need players to step up and Reilly Smith has been rising to the occasion all year.
3. King Roy
What a year this has been for Nicolas Roy.
Acquired as part of the trade that sent forward Erik Haula to the Carolina Hurricanes back in the off-season, Roy was expected to spend the majority of the year in the AHL with the Chicago Wolves.
And, while Roy has certainly spent his far share of time in the minors, the forward has really impressed in his rookie year in the National Hockey League.
It has been in the last few weeks where the 23-year-old has really grown and matured, playing a bigger role for the Golden Knights.
With the likes of Mark Stone, Alex Tuch and Cody Glass all out, Roy has been given an opportunity to shine on the second-line with Max Pacioretty and William Karlsson.
But it was on the third-line where Roy was most effective against the Sabres, making it a tied game in the middle frame, winning the puck back before getting to the slot area and finishing off a feed from Nick Cousins.
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It was a big goal for Roy who logged 16:19 minutes of total ice time, and the rookie is fast blossoming into a real valuable depth player for the Vegas Golden Knights.