Golden Knights’ Game 7 decision: Robin Lehner or Marc-Andre Fleury?

It all comes down to Game 7.

The Golden Knights have fought, scrapped, changed coaches, mixed up their roster and lived in a bubble for more than a month all to have their season decided by one game for the second straight year. And this one comes with a twist.

The Knights and Vancouver Canucks will face off for the decisive game of their second-round playoff series at 6 p.m. Friday, less than 24 hours after Game 6 started at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta. The back-to-back games will present unique challenges for both teams, but it will also force the Knights to regroup quickly after seeing a 3-1 series lead evaporate in three days.

“There’s no place for frustration right now,” said Knights coach Pete DeBoer, who is 4-0 in Game 7s in his career. “We’ve got to win one game to move on. We’ll reset, come out tomorrow and we’ll put ourselves in a position here where we win a game, we get to move forward, and that’s what we’ve got to concentrate on.”

The most important decision both coaches face is who starts in net.

Canucks rookie Thatcher Demko has rescued the series for his team, stopping 90 of the 91 shots he faced in games 5 and 6. He has a shutout streak of 84:48 and has made 66 consecutive saves.

The only thing coach Travis Green has to ask himself is if the 24-year-old can keep it up if he plays for the third time in four days. Green might have no choice if starter Jacob Markstrom, who has not dressed for the past two games, remains unavailable.

“I’m confident in whoever plays tomorrow, whether it’s (Markstrom) or (Demko),” Green said.

DeBoer faces an even more vexing dilemma. Robin Lehner, his starter for the past two games, has not played poorly. He even kept the Knights’ hopes alive in Game 6 with several impressive stops. He has allowed five goals on 40 shots in his past two games.

DeBoer has yet to play just one goaltender when the team has faced back-to-back games, however. Marc-Andre Fleury, who won the only game he started in this series, should be plenty rested and could give the team an emotional lift.

DeBoer choosing Fleury would also mean going with his clear second-choice goaltender with the season on the line. Lehner has started 11 of the team’s postseason games, and Fleury has started three. Lehner is 7-4 with a .914 save percentage and 2.14 goals-against average. Fleury is 3-0 with an .893 save percentage and a 2.67 goals-against average.

“I haven’t even thought about that yet,” DeBoer said after Game 6. “They’ll both be ready to play.”

Of course, the Knights’ Game 7 hopes rest on much more than their goaltender. They depend on the top-end players finding a way to break through. On the team’s depth asserting itself. On the power play coming back to life.

The Knights know how cruel Game 7s can be based on last year, when a controversial major penalty call helped decide their fate in the first round against the San Jose Sharks. Now it’s up to them to not only write a different ending but also avoid an ending altogether.

“It’s one game,” right wing Mark Stone said. “We’ve got a great team. The 20 guys that are going to go out there are going to bring our best, and whatever happens, happens. We’re confident going into tomorrow.”

Here are three takeaways from Game 6:

1. Hughes heats up

Vancouver rookie Quinn Hughes, one of three finalists for the Calder Trophy, had a slow start to the series.

The defenseman had 10 points in his first 10 playoff games but mustered just one assist in his first three cracks at the Knights. The next three games were much better, though. Hughes’ playmaking skill was evident, and he recorded a goal and four assists.

His 16 points in the playoffs are a record for a rookie defenseman.

“I don’t want to disclose anything, but definitely feeling better now after a couple off days,” Hughes said. “I feel good right now, and the back to back tomorrow will be tough on everyone, but we’re excited for it.”

2. Demko drains the power

The Knights’ power play was 4-for-13 against the Canucks before Demko entered the crease and changed everything.

The team was 0-for-7 in games 5 and 6, including an 0-for-5 showing Thursday. Demko saw a combined 15 shots on the penalty kill and stopped them all.

”It’s usually a symptom of our five-on-five game, and I think the same issues we had creep into or bleed into our power play,” DeBoer said. “It’s traffic and making it tougher on him to see the puck and getting more pucks into that area with more bodies in that area.”

3. Fourth line struggles

The Knights had more shot attempts and scoring chances than the Canucks when their first three lines were on the ice at five-on-five in Game 6. That wasn’t true of their fourth line.

William Carrier, Chandler Stephenson and Ryan Reaves were out-chanced 4-1 at five-on-five and were on the ice for Vancouver’s first goal.

It was an uncharacteristic lapse for the group that typically sets the tone. It was the first goal when Carrier and Reaves were on the ice in the series.

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.