Golden Knights: Robin Lehner Doing What He Does Best This Postseason

Robin Lehner has been a terrific fit with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Amidst everything that has gone on with the novel coronavirus pandemic, one thing has been constant. And that has been the play of Vegas Golden Knights netminder Robin Lehner.

When last year’s season came to an end, Lehner walked away with not just the William M. Jenning Trophy, splitting that with Thomas Greiss, but also the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which is given to the player that best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey.

But even after earning these two accolades, he had a problem finding a team for this season. The New York Islanders and his agent were unable to communicate correctly after it was believed he would be staying on the Islanders given his recent success in his one year there, with a .930% save percentage (SV%) and a 2.13 GAA during the regular season and a .936 SV% and a 2.00 GAA in the playoffs.

His time on the island meant a lot to him as well.

When a return to the island was a no-go, Lehner signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the Chicago Blackhawks, as their starting goaltender Corey Crawford had been battling head injuries for the last couple of years and the team could use a serviceable player to help carry the workload.

On a team that struggled mightily, the Swedish goaltender played to a .918% SV% and a 3.01 GAA  in 33 games.

But with Crawford showcasing that he still had miles left in the tank, the team decided that moving Lehner at the trade deadline would be best. After a few rapid-fire trades, Lehner ended up with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Like in Chicago, Lehner found himself in a similar position. He was not the clear number one, which meant he would be splitting time yet again, this time with three-time Stanley Cup Champion Marc-Andre Fleury. It is tough to show your true worth when this is the case, especially as he was looking to showcase his skillsets before hitting the free-agent market yet again.

Lehner would only be able to suit up for three games for his new team before the halt in play. In those three games, the newcomer posted a 3-0 record, with an outstanding.940 SV% and a 1.67 GAA.

When play resumed and it was time for round-robin play, head coach Pete DeBoer had a tough decision to make. Did he go with his starter all year who played to a .905 SV% and a 2.77 GAA in 49 games or Lehner?

The team elected to go with the latter.

Lehner would pick up two wins of the team’s three during the round-robin games (56 saves on 62 shots), as Vegas would enter as the first seed in the Western Conference, setting up a matchup with Lehner’s former team, the Blackhawks.

In the series which ended in the Knights advancing in five games, the Panda, as he has been nicknamed (tweeted Kung Fu Panda GIFs from Twitter account and it just stuck) posted a .908% SV% and a 2.25 GAA.

But Lehner was just getting started. Against a tough Vancouver Canucks team, which had surprised the hockey world after taking down the defending Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues in six games, Lehner would have to do everything he could to help get this team to the next round.

It would not be a walk in the park.

After a grueling seven games series, which ended with a 14-save shutout for Mr. Lehner, Vegas was onto the Western Conference Finals to face a Dallas Stars team that also picked up a Game Seven victory, theirs coming in overtime against the Colorado Avalanche.

In this series, Lehner recorded three shutouts, with a 1.29 GAA and a .932% SV%. He also made saves like this.

After his Game Seven shutout, DeBoer decided to go with Fleury for Game One against the Stars, as Lehner could use the rest after playing three games over the last four days.

While Fleury only allowed one goal on 25 shots, Vegas fell 1-0.

Lehner would get back in there for Game Two, and with his team trailing 1-0 in the series, he would pick up yet another shutout stopping 24 Dallas shots as his team picked up the 3-0 victory.

With this shutout, Lehner put his name in the history books.

To think, a guy who seemed to fail as a starter in the National Hockey League has emerged as one of the best the league has to offer. All the credit to Lehner, who battled off-ice issues, persevering to show the league, his teammates, and more importantly himself, that he deserved the opportunity.

I do not believe anyone saw this coming when he arrived in Vegas. With a potential Hall of Famer in front of him on the depth charts, he would have to earn the opportunity to even be a factor in the playoffs. But the coaching staff made the right call, as Lehner has been phenomenal, owning a .924% SV% and a 1.92 GAA in 19 games with four shutouts, as his team looks to continue this successful playoff run thus far.

When the puck drops for Game Three tonight, Lehner will be in between the posts, looking to help his team take a 2-1 series lead in the Western Conference Finals.