Amid a push to clinch a playoff spot in the final week of the regular season, the Vegas Golden Knights announced Monday that goaltender Robin Lehner will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery.
Lehner dealt with both a shoulder and a knee injury during the second half of the season. The shoulder injury occurred Feb. 9, and after a rest-and-rehab approach allowed him to return March 1, he sustained the knee injury March 8.
The 30-year-old Swede again returned made six starts this month, most recently beating the Washington Capitals 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday.
Golden Knights coach Peter DeBoer disputed an ESPN report Friday that Lehner was going to have knee surgery. Instead, it turned out the shoulder became the bigger problem.
“At times rest and rehab were effective, but ultimately Robin, in consultation with team medical staff, determined that this is the best course of action,” the team said in a statement Monday.
Vegas’ No. 1 goalie, Lehner finishes the year with a 23-17-2 record with one shutout, a 2.83 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage in 44 games, all starts.
Logan Thompson, who started Vegas’ Sunday loss to the San Jose Sharks, is expected to be the Golden Knights’ primary goalie the rest of the way. The team also recalled goalie Jiri Patera from its AHL affiliate in Henderson, Nev.
With three regular-season games left, Vegas (42-31-6, 90 points) trails the Dallas Stars by three points for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Vegas and Dallas meet in Texas for a pivotal game on Tuesday.
–Field Level Media