In Edmonton, Robin Lehner made 31 saves and the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night, 3-0.
It was the second shutout of the series for Lehner who beat the Canucks, 5-0, in Game 1.
“I thought we had a really good game,” Lehner said. “They had a really good first, but in the second and third periods, the guys really helped me out. It’s a fun team to play against … they’re easy to get up for.”
Alex Tuch scored, off a pass from Nicolas Roy that broke into the Vancouver zone, early in the first period for a 1-0 lead.
“Alex is a guy we knew we were going to need (in the postseason),” Golden Knights head coach Peter DeBoer said. “He was disappointed with his regular season, and we talked about the fact if you have a great playoff, no one will remember the regular season, and he’s taken that and run with it.
“He’s been fantastic, and not just sticking the puck in the net, but his speed is dangerous every time he’s on the ice.”
Zach Whitecloud scored 83 seconds after after Tcuh at 5:28 of the first off a turnover for a 2-0 lead.
“I’m not trying to think about the regular season and focus on the playoffs,” Tuch said. “We had a break to get healthy and I tried to get in the best shape possible. I think I was able to do so with the help of our coaching staff and my teammates.”
Mark Stone struck in the third period for the final goal of the game; it came off the power play.
The Canucks were 0-for-5 on the power play, including a 5-on-3 advantage in the first period.
“On the 5-on-3, we had about as many good looks and executed about as well as we could,” the Canucks’ J.T. Miller said. “The goalie made some nice saves, got momentum for the team. We easily could’ve tied the game or got back close.”
Game 4 is Sunday; Game 3 was rescheduled to Saturday in support of Black Lives Matter.
“There are certain things bigger than hockey,” Vegas’ Alec Martinez said. “I’m proud with the way the guys responded. Not just our team, but the League as a whole. That said, it was a good time for thought and reflection and discussion.
“But now it’s back to hockey and we’re just focused on tomorrow night.”
[WATCH: All Golden Knights vs. Canucks Game 3 highlights]
Jacob Markstrom made 31 saves in the loss.
“I liked our start to the game, and we were unlucky to be down 2-0,” Canucks head coach Travis Green said. “That happens in playoff hockey. With our team, sometimes when we get down, we tend to overpass the puck a little bit. We had a few too many east-west plays in the offensive zone, especially in the second period.
“I really liked our first period. … We skated well, drew some penalties. Give [Lehner] credit. He made some really nice saves. I think we could’ve easily been up after the first period.”
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