David Becker/AP
Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) defends against Minnesota Wild right wing Ryan Hartman (38) during the first period of Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series Tuesday, May 18, 2021, in Las Vegas.
Monday, May 24, 2021 | 3 p.m.
It’s been 111 minutes, 30 seconds of game action since the Golden Knights allowed the Minnesota Wild to score a goal this series. That stretches back to the first period of Game 3 when the Wild netted two. Since then, Vegas has scored the last nine goals.
Much of that is thanks to Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, whose .966 save percentage and 0.99 goals-against average lead all goalies this postseason. And while Fleury has been tremendous, his defense is helping him out too. The Golden knights have been able to keep the Wild’s best offensive players in check, and another strong performance tonight could just be enough to end the series.
Puck drop for Game 5 is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena. Vegas leads the series 3-1 and can clinch a playoff series at home for the first time in team history tonight.
“You don’t build up a 3-1 lead in a series without contributions from all areas,” Vegas coach Pete DeBoer said. “It’s been different people in different areas every night that have helped put us in this position. But, obviously, that area in net has been key for us all year.”
The Wild thrived in the regular season on second- and third-chance opportunities against the Golden Knights, and those haven’t been there this postseason. The Wild have just four goals this series, and while Minnesota has generated plenty of chances, the Golden Knights defense has been good at allowing Fleury to make the saves.
“They’re good at taking us away on the points in the ‘O’ zone, so we really have to be strong in front of our net and do our best to create offense in front of their net,” Vegas defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. “They’re going to get opportunities. I think the important part for us is when they do get a chance is that (Fleury) is going to save the first one. We’ve just got to make sure they don’t a second opportunity and as a group, collectively, I think we’ve done a great job of that so far.”
That’s not to diminish Fleury’s play, which has been spectacular. He arguably stole the team to a Game 2 victory with a stellar first period. His 6.14 goals saved above expected (according to Evolving Hockey) lead all NHL goaltenders, showing just how good he’s been.
He’s expected to return to the net tonight, starting his fifth game in a row.
The defense should get a nice boost with the expected return of Brayden McNabb. The veteran blue liner had a surprise absence at morning skate ahead of Saturday’s Game 4, and he did not play that night, the first Vegas playoff game he had missed. He was back at skate today in his usual place alongside Shea Theodore.
Nick Holden, who had two assists in a Game 3 appearance, is also expected to play his third game in a row in favor of second-year player Nicolas Hague, who played Games 1, 2 and 4.
“The nice part is our depth on defense has allowed us to survive (McNabb) being out for a night,” DeBoer said. “We haven’t made a decision yet on him for tonight. If he goes, he’s a great addition for us. If he can’t, we’re very comfortable with the six defensemen we’re going to put out there tonight because of our depth.”
Vegas has a 3-1 series lead for third time in three years, excluding last year’s first-round series against Chicago, where the Golden Knights led 3-0 and lost Game 4. In 2019 against the Sharks and last year against the Canucks, a 3-1 lead needed a Game 7, with a 1-1 record in those games.
All-time, the Golden Knights are 3-4 in Game 5. They are 5-6 in games where a victory would eliminate the opponent, but just 2-6 in the last two seasons.
Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1
Series: Golden Knights lead 3-1
TV: AT&T SportsNet (DirecTV 684, Cox 1313, CenturyLink 1760)
Radio: Fox Sports 1340 AM and 98.9 FM
Betting line: Golden Knights minus-185, Wild plus-165; over/under: 5.5 (plus-110, minus-130)
Golden Knights (3-1, West Division No. 2 seed)
Coach: Pete DeBoer (second season)
Points leader: Mark Stone (4)
Goals leaders: Mark Stone, Alex Tuch (3)
Assists leader: Chandler Stephenson (3)
Expected goalie: Marc-Andre Fleury (0.99 GAA, .966 save percentage)
Wild (1-3, West Division No. 3 seed)
Coach: Dean Evason (second season)
Points leaders: Five players (2)
Goals leader: Joel Eriksson Ek (2)
Assists leaders: Jonas Brodin, Marcus Foligno, Jordan Greenway (2)
Expected goalie: Cam Talbot (2.52 GAA, .921 save percentage)
Golden Knights projected lineup
Forwards
Alex Tuch—Chandler Stephenson—Mark Stone
Jonathan Marchessault—William Karlsson—Reilly Smith
Mattias Janmark—Nicolas Roy—Keegan Kolesar
William Carrier—Patrick Brown—Ryan Reaves
Defensemen
Alec Martinez—Alex Pietrangelo
Brayden McNabb—Shea Theodore
Nick Holden—Zach Whitecloud
Goalies
Marc-Andre Fleury, Robin Lehner
