Robin Lehner shuts out Devils in Golden Knights’ victory
Robin Lehner normally is reluctant to make changes when he is playing well, but he decided to strap on his new Golden Knights-themed leg pads for the first time Tuesday.
Apparently, they came from the factory carrying good luck.
Lehner made 27 saves for his first shutout as the Knights closed their four-game homestand with a 3-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils at T-Mobile Arena.
“They traded for me for a reason, and I’m just doing my best,” Lehner said. “It’s a great opportunity playing with (Marc-Andre) Fleury. … I’m just trying to do the best with the opportunities I’m going to get.”
William Karlsson notched his 100th career goal and added an assist as the Knights bounced back from Sunday’s loss to Los Angeles and improved to 9-1 in their past 10 games.
Max Pacioretty had his team-leading 31st goal to go with an assist and Ryan Reaves scored in the third period.
The Knights (37-23-8, 82 points) remained two points ahead of Edmonton for the Pacific Division lead.
“I thought we stuck with it,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “Our goalie made some big saves for us at the right time, and in the third we played a real good game.”
Lehner won his second straight start after being acquired by the Knights at the trade deadline Feb. 24.
He turned away Travis Zajac on the Devils’ first shot and made a series of saves on a second-period penalty kill.
The Knights also blocked 15 shots, including three each by Alec Martinez and Shea Theodore. Zach Whitecloud had two blocks late before heading to the locker room with less than four minutes to play with an apparent injury.
“It’s another step. I’m feeling better and better, but the guys played great, too,” Lehner said. “A few chances the first couple periods, but I thought we had a great third. I’ve just got to keep building and keep getting back to my old game.”
Here’s what stood out:
Dropping dimes
Yes, Pacioretty’s shot for the Knights’ first goal was a thing of beauty, beating Devils goalie Mackenzie Blackwood high to the stick side from the top of the left faceoff circle.
But the pass from Karlsson can’t be ignored, either.
Karlsson circled back in the defensive zone for a loose puck, settled it on his backhand and then whipped a 50-foot, no-look pass to a streaking Pacioretty at center ice.
“I saw him, but he also shouted for it,” Karlsson said. “I’m just glad I put it in a place he could receive it and keep going without having to adjust the stride.”
Karlsson has five goals and two assists in his last five games and appears to be back to 100 percent after missing eight games from Jan. 16 to Feb. 8 with a broken finger.
“He’s getting better and better and closer to the guy we know,” DeBoer said.
Home cooking
The Knights finished a stretch in which they played 10 of 12 games at T-Mobile Arena, and they went 8-1-1 with a plus-11 goal differential.
After struggling on home ice early this season, the Knights improved to 22-11-4 and have the second-most home wins in the Western Conference behind St. Louis.
The win over the Devils completed a 3-1 homestand. The Knights don’t play at home again until March 17 and are on the road for 10 of their final 14 games.
“There’s a couple big divisional games in there, so getting our confidence back and our mojo back at home, bring that onto the road is obviously really important,” Reaves said.
RIP, Hulk
Knights fan John Baratta, who was known as “VGK Hulk” and shown regularly on the video scoreboard at T-Mobile Arena, was honored before the game after he died Monday.
Baratta, 68, resembled pro wrestler Hulk Hogan, and several fans in section 8 wore yellow “Hulkamania” T-shirts to honor Baratta. When Pacioretty scored the first goal, many ripped the front of their shirt the way Hogan and Baratta did.
At one point during the second period, the puck sailed out of play and landed near Baratta’s former seat, which was made into a temporary shrine.
Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.