Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner (90) takes a drink during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the New Jersey Devils at T-Mobile Arena Monday, April 18, 2022.
Friday, April 22, 2022 | 1:43 p.m.
The status of Golden Knights goalie Robin Lehner is up in the air after conflicting accounts between coach Pete DeBoer and media reports.
ESPN reported Friday that Lehner would be undergoing season-ending surgery on a lower-body injury he sustained on March 8 in Philadelphia.
Lehner was not at practice Friday, and when asked to confirm if the reports were true, DeBoer said “not to my knowledge” and that it was a maintenance day for him.
“I expect him at practice tomorrow, I expect him to dress on Sunday [against the San Jose Sharks],” DeBoer said.
Lehner has dealt with a myriad of injuries during the second half of the season that he’s reportedly attempted to play through.
He sustained an upper-body injury following the Feb. 9 game in Calgary where he did not play again until March 1. Daily Faceoff reported that injury was a torn labrum, to which Lehner emphatically shut down upon his return.
Then came the lower-body injury a week later, something serious enough to where Lehner needed crutches. Lehner returned from that ailment on April 3, but he has not looked 100 percent, going 2-2-0 in six starts with a 3.20 goals-against average and an .892 save percentage.
“We’re 82 games into the season. Nobody’s healthy,” DeBoer said. “Everybody’s got something. There’s nothing physically that is a play issue in my conversations with anybody.”
After Lehner gave up two questionable goals in the third period Monday against New Jersey, DeBoer put his No. 1 goalie back into the starter’s crease against Washington on Wednesday.
Lehner stopped 12 of 13 shots in the first period but was pulled in favor of Logan Thompson because DeBoer felt his team was rattled after allowing the first goal of the game.
Thompson went on to stop 13 of 15 shots through two periods and the Golden Knights won 4-3 in overtime to keep their playoff hopes alive.
“We pay him to start games like this,” DeBoer said Wednesday night. “It’s the most important time of the year. He’s healthy, he’s fresh, he has a lot of energy, and we need him at this point of the year.”
With Lehner out, Thompson stepped in to keep the Golden Knights’ playoff hopes alive. He’s five of his last six starts and has a .932 save percentage over his last seven appearances.
Whatever disconnect there is between DeBoer, Lehner and general manager Kelly McCrimmon regarding the health of their $5 million goalie, it comes at a time where Vegas can return to the playoffs should it win out these final four games.
Thanks to the Dallas Stars losing their last two games in Edmonton and Calgary this week, the Golden Knights can make their fifth straight postseason if they win their final four games — including Tuesday’s matchup in Dallas, but it would need to be in regulation.
There’s still a chance Vegas can catch the Los Angeles Kings for third place in the Pacific Division, but the Kings have a favorable schedule down the stretch and have won three in a row.
If the Golden Knights do decide Thompson is the better choice going forward, his teammates have full confidence in the rookie.
“He’s been great ever since he showed up,” forward Jonathan Marchessault said of Thompson. “For me, if you work hard in practice and you work hard in games, you have dedication. All the guys in the locker room are like that, and to see a guy come up and put in the work and doing the job too, that’s what we need.”
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
