Vegas Golden Knights: Three Storylines to focus on in World Conference Final

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Thatcher Demko #35 of the Vancouver Canucks and Robin Lehner #90 of the Vegas Golden Knights shake following Lehner’s 3-0 shutout against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Seven of the Western Conference Second Round. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

There’s plenty of storylines to watch out for in the WCF if you are a Vegas Golden Knights fan.

After finally overcoming the plucky Vancouver Canucks in Game 7, the Vegas Golden Knights will now face the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final.

Just four wins stand between the Golden Knights and a second trip to the Stanley Cup Final in franchise history.

They will have their work cut out for them, however, given that the Dallas Stars are loaded up and down the lineup.

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Dallas exploded offensively to finish off the Colorado Avalanche in seven games, and they are getting contributions from up and down the lineup.

Role players have stepped up for the Stars when some of their big hitters have been quiet, while they had hardly missed a beat despite starting goalie Ben Bishop being “Unfit to Play” for large parts of the postseason.

They are big, they play a heavy brand of hockey and they have pieces that can really change a game, so it should be a compelling matchup against a Golden Knights team that is built to win right now.

Styles make fights after all and this should be a tightly contested and highly entertaining series that goes all seven games.

There should also be a plethora of storylines to follow the deeper we go in this series, and we decided to highlight a few in particular to keep an eye out for.

Let’s delve right in…

Robin Lehner #90 of the Vegas Golden Knights leads his team out for warm-ups prior to the game against the Vancouver Canucks in Game Seven of the Western Conference Second Round. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

1. Who gets the crease?

Robin Lehner or Marc-Andre Fleury?

That is the million dollar question that seems to be driving a bit of a wedge between team and fanbase right now.

It has been one long honeymoon period since the Golden Knights entered the NHL in 2017, but this year there has been a lot of turbulence.

A hell of a lot.

It started when the front office stunned the hockey world by firing Head Coach Gerard Gallant, and then replacing him with Head Coach of your arch-rivals, Peter DeBoer.

A chunk of the Golden Knights fanbase still haven’t come around to DeBoer yet, and that hasn’t been helped by his perceived handling of the current goalie situation.

It has been well documented so we don’t need to go over the fine details, but it will remain a hot storyline heading into this series.

Robin Lehner seems to be the main guy for DeBoer and the front office, the guy they clearly think gives them the best chance to win.

Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Vegas Golden Knights sits on the bench prior to the game against the Dallas Stars in Game One of the Western Conference Final. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

That was backed up by the fact that Lehner started both Games 6 & 7, which were a back-to-back, against the Vancouver Canucks despite DeBoer previously stating that he would utilize both parts of his two-headed goalie monster.

So what happens going forward?

Well it appears almost certain that Lehner would start Game 1 against the Stars and, with no back-to-backs in this series, it could well be Lehner’s crease to lose now.

It will be a tough pill to swallow for Vegas fans if that is the case, and it will also be a tough pill to swallow for Fleury who has performed very well when he’s been called upon this postseason.

This will be an interesting storyline to keep an eye on for sure.

Shea Theodore #27 of the Vegas Golden Knights skates against the Vancouver Canucks in Game Five of the Western Conference Second Round.(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

2. Battle of the Blueline Studs

There will be a plethora of compelling matchups to keep an eye out for throughout the course of this series, but one stands out in particular.

Shea Theodore Vs. Miro Heiskanen.

The pair have both been on an absolute tear throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs and they are both establishing themselves as two of the best young defensemen in the National Hockey League.

Theodore was an absolute juggernaut for the Golden Knights throughout the regular season, setting career-highs in goals (13), assists (33), points (46) and power play points (16).

He averaged 22:15 minutes of ice time per game and the blueliner has only elevated his game further inside The Bubble.

In 15 games Theodore leads the Golden Knights in points in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 16 (6 G, 10 A), and he also leads the team in power play points with six.

Theodore is quickly establishing himself as one of the best players on this Golden Knights roster, and it shouldn’t be long before he enters the Norris Trophy conversation on a year-by-year basis.

Then there is Heiskanen who has easily been one of the standout players of the postseason so far, carrying the Stars on his back at times.

Miro Heiskanen #4 of the Dallas Stars scores at 11:14 of the first period against Cam Talbot #39 of the Calgary Flames in Game Two of the Western Conference First Round.(Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images) /

Despite his tender age of 21, the Finnish phenom is currently battling with Quinn Hughes (Vancouver Canucks) and Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche) for the title of the best young offensive blueliner in the NHL.

It was an incredibly impressive sophomore season for Heiskanen, and the left shot continues to wow the hockey world.

He has racked up 21 points (5 G, 16 A) in 16 postseason games and it will be fascinating to see Heiskanen and Theodore go toe-to-toe.

They are both rising stars and, while you could argue that Heiskanen has the higher ceiling given his age, both are set for bright careers in the NHL

Both are also serious Conn Smythe contenders right now and both will be crucial to their respective teams in this series.

It should be a hell of a lot of fun to watch.

Mark Stone #61 of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrates a goal by teammate Shea Theodore (not pictured) against the Vancouver Canucks during the third period in Game Seven of the Western Conference Second Round.(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

3. Stars Assemble

Forget Avengers Assemble, it should be Stars Assemble.

And we ain’t just talking about Dallas here.

No, there is going to be a lot of star power on show in the Western Conference and we are all here for it.

You have the likes of Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, William Karlsson and Shea Theodore for the Golden Knights, while Robin Lehner and Marc-Andre Fleury make up one of the best goalie tandems in the National Hockey League.

But Dallas is also loaded and they pack a hell of a lot of firepower.

You’ve got the obvious names in Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov who have been quiet in the Stanley Cup Playoffs so far, but don’t be surprised if they wake up in this series.

Joe Pavelski #16 of the Dallas Stars checks out his sticks prior to the game against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game One of the Western Conference Final.(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Then you have veteran Joe Pavelski who will be extra motivated to win the first Stanley Cup of his career, while Corey Perry will offer both secondary scoring and some grit.

There are some big hitters on the blueline for both teams too, including Shea Theodore and Miro Heiskanen as we covered in the previous slide.

What we are saying, basically, is that both the Golden Knights and the Stars are stacked, both have great goaltending, both have elite game-changers and both play a real heavy brand of hockey.

Three Kinks to iron out in WCF. dark. Next

Styles make fights and all the ingredients are in place for this to be a mouthwatering Stanley Cup Final.

Bring it on.

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