Graney: Golden Knights should start Robin Lehner at goalie

Full disclosure: I know taking a stand against Marc-Andre Fleury in these parts is like dissing Santa Claus. Like hoping Voldemort got the best of Harry Potter in the end.

Fleury holds a level of royalty to Golden Knights fans that is T-Mobile Arena-sized big.

But heartstrings have no place in the pursuit of a Stanley Cup. While some might be thinking where a statue of Fleury one day should be raised, coach Pete DeBoer should be thinking about starting Robin Lehner at goaltender when the NHL playoffs begin.

No, that was not a misprint. I’m not drunk on Lysol fumes.

Come on. Nicknames aside, pandas eat flowers for lunch. Like, really.

My colleague Ron Kantowski stands on the opposite side. It’s low-hanging fruit to the point he could consume an apple without lifting his head. But he has a magical way with words, even for a Cubs fan. I’m guessing a majority (everyone?) will favor his opinion.

Aniston math

DeBoer said he expects Fleury and Lehner to see time when the Knights open round-robin play against Dallas in the hub city of Edmonton. Fine. As long as Lehner starts when things get real.

I’m a numbers guy to a point. Obvious ones, mostly. If you ask me to analyze the amount of lines Jennifer Aniston spoke in “We’re the Millers” as opposed to “Horrible Bosses,” give me a remote and check back (much) later.

But when it comes to things like goals saved above average and goalie point shares and delta/adjusted save percentage, those are for people whose jobs depend on understanding a new math level of importance.

Don’t overthink the room. You can consider Corso as some expensive watch and be fine. Simple statistics are often enough to assess who should play and who shouldn’t.

And what those tell us is, before COVID-19 paused the NHL like it did the world, Fleury was having his worst season in 10 years.

In 49 games, his goals-against average (2.77) ranks 28th in the league. His save percentage (.905) is 46th, with 15 of those ahead of Fleury having played at least 40 games.

One of the great mysteries about this stoppage is how veterans such as Fleury might respond following such a layoff. He might be better for it. The 35-year-old body rested and such. He might be worse for it. The 35-year-old body showing rust and such.

This isn’t about history. The Knights aren’t wining a Cup based on their 2017-18 roster. Lehner was playing better than Fleury before things shut down. Has for a while now.

Simple stats: Lehner has a .920 save percentage this season. His goals-against average is 2.89, but consider all but three of his 36 games came playing for the Blackhawks. Kantowski — Mr. Bobby Hull himself — could score against Chicago.

Sure, it’s an extremely small sample size: Lehner, six years younger than Fleury, has won all three starts with the Knights. His save percentage is .940 and goals-against average 1.67 in those games. He’s more comfortable in Southern Nevada than Wayne Newton.

Playoffs … playoffs!

You’re going to throw playoff numbers at me, that Fleury has started 134 postseason games and won three Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh, and that Lehner’s resume includes just 10 playoff games. Eight came with the Islanders last season, a postseason in which he had a .936 save percentage and 2.0 goals against average.

I will remind you Fleury was the No. 2 goalie for the Penguins in two of those three championship series, and that all postseason games this season will be in front of no fans. Lehner can handle the pressure of weird piped-in crowd noise.

A colleague (not that wise-cracker Kantowski) perhaps offered the best view for starting Lehner: If he falters, Fleury might literally save the day for a group of teammates who adore him to no end.

We’re talking Willis Reed without the muscle tear and painkiller injections. Can you imagine the jolt of motivation a Knights team would receive when Fleury skated onto the ice? Stirring is right.

Even so, when irritated, pandas attack and are aggressive. Who better to incite Lehner’s ire than that nutjob Brad Marchand should the Knight meet Boston in the Cup Final?

Lehner is the answer. This is a choice for now and not the past.

There. I did it. I dissed Santa Claus.

Send all your disparaging comments about me to Kantowksi.

I get enough hate mail.

Ed Graney is a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing and can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on Twitter.