Robin Lehner departs after 2nd period of Golden Knights’ loss
Golden Knights coach Pete DeBoer said this week he is not a proponent of splitting his goaltenders during the preseason, preferring to let the starter play the entire way.
But that’s not what happened Thursday.
Robin Lehner departed from his preseason debut after two periods, and the Golden Knights lost 3-1 to the Los Angeles Kings at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City.
“Wasn’t supposed to come out,” DeBoer said. “Just precautionary. We didn’t want to risk further injury. He didn’t have anything serious, but we didn’t want to risk anything.”
Lehner stopped 18 of 20 shots, allowing a rebound goal by Brendan Lemieux 1:45 into the first period and a breakaway by Lias Andersson in the second period.
Dylan Ferguson replaced Lehner for the start of the third period and made two saves. He also allowed a power-play goal by Arthur Kaliyev midway through the third period.
“It’s never easy going into a situation like that, but you’ve just got to be grateful for those opportunities and try to make the most of them,” Ferguson said. “Anytime you get to play, whatever the stage is, it’s a chance to get better and feel good about yourself.”
Defenseman Daniil Miromanov scored for the Knights, who had captain Mark Stone in the lineup after he was hit in the ear with a shot and left Sunday’s preseason opener.
The game was part of the Frozen Fury, which was formerly hosted by the Kings in Las Vegas until 2016. The teams meet again Friday at T-Mobile Arena.
“It was pretty tough. Big crowd, tough game as well,” Miromanov said. “Everything (was) new for me, it’s the first NHL game especially. Just got to keep moving, keep working. … Happy to score, but we didn’t get the result.”
Here are three takeaways from the game:
1. Promising pair?
DeBoer hasn’t messed with his defense in training camp, rolling with the same top six that allowed the fewest goals in the NHL last season. An injury to Brayden McNabb allowed him to experiment for the first time.
Dylan Coghlan skated with Nic Hague on the top pair against the Kings, and they showed good chemistry, while Zach Whitecloud was alongside Derrick Pouliot. Coghlan also ran the No. 1 power-play unit.
It’s unlikely that McNabb gets pushed out of the lineup if healthy, with DeBoer on record that he plans to keep the defense pairs together. But there’s always the future to think about.
McNabb is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season. If the Knights ever want to move Shea Theodore to the left side and bump Whitecloud into the top four, a Hague-Coghlan pairing could be an option.
2. Tough call on Krebs
The Knights are giving Peyton Krebs every chance to make the club out of training camp, as the 2019 first-round pick played in his third straight game. This time, he auditioned for a spot at left wing on the third line skating with Nolan Patrick and Evgenii Dadonov.
After trying to do too much with the puck in his first two outings, Krebs settled down and turned in his best effort. He was effective on the forecheck early in the first period, and his energy sparked one of the best shifts for the Knights during the second period, leading to a penalty against Los Angeles.
But the points are still missing for Krebs, who didn’t record a shot on goal, either. He’s running out of time in the preseason to show he belongs on the opening night roster.
“You’re trying guys out, and you’re trying to give them an opportunity to show whether they belong here or not,” DeBoer said, though he wasn’t referring specifically to Krebs. “The silver lining of it is you didn’t win tonight, but you learn a lot about the group and who’s ready to play and who isn’t.”
3. Another injury
Center Nicolas Roy was one of the few forwards who were effective on a night when the Knights generated 19 shots on goal.
Roy forced a turnover in the offensive zone and fed Miromanov, who moved in from the right point and beat onetime Knights goalie Garret Sparks with a shot under the crossbar to end the shutout.
“Good job by Miromanov,” DeBoer said. “He jumped into a hole, he’s got a great shot. He showed that in training camp.”
But Roy was hurt taking a faceoff with about 4:30 remaining and appeared to be favoring his right hand as he headed to the locker room. There was no update on his status available after the game.
Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.