3 takeaways: Pete DeBoer pushing right buttons for Golden Knights

Golden Knights coach Pete DeBoer notched his 51th career postseason victory in Thursday’s 4-3 overtime triumph over the Chicago Blackhawks.

That’s 48 more wins than the Blackhawks’ Jeremy Colliton.

DeBoer’s experience has come in handy during the Western Conference quarterfinals, as he’s pushed the right buttons to help the Knights take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series in Edmonton, Alberta. Game 3 is at 5 p.m. Saturday.

The decision to ride with Robin Lehner in net for the first two games over three-time Stanley Cup winner Marc-Andre Fleury has garnered most of the attention.

But DeBoer’s move to put Tomas Nosek back in the lineup for the injured Max Pacioretty paid off with a goal Thursday before he left in the second period with an injury. If Nosek can’t play in Game 3, it’s likely Patrick Brown or Gage Quinney would be called upon.

DeBoer also took advantage of the last line change as the home team in the first two games to counter Colliton’s moves.

Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews, who had seven points in four games against the Edmonton Oilers during the qualifying round, was held pointless with three shots on goal in two games by the defensive pair of Nate Schmidt and Brayden McNabb.

Colliton jumbled his lines for Game 2 in an effort to generate more offense after Chicago mustered 20 shots in the opener, tying a season low. He also scratched first-year defenseman Adam Boqvist in favor of rookie Lucas Carlsson.

That moved backfired, as Carlsson was on the ice for the Knights’ first and fourth goals, both of which came from in front of the Blackhawks’ net.

Chicago stretched the neutral zone in the second period and put the Knights on their heels at times as the game opened up. But the Knights adjusted entering the third period and avoided trading chances with the Blackhawks.

In the final 27:13, the Knights dominated possession with a 36-16 edge in shot attempts and 23-7 advantage in shots on goal.

“We didn’t play a perfect game tonight. There’s always things we can do better,” DeBoer said. “We didn’t handle the rush really well. They gapped us out in some situations. It hasn’t been a problem finding ways to improve our game, and our guys want that.

“At the same time, you have to take your hat off to them. They find ways to win every night, and they have a feeling on that bench that regardless of the situation, they’re going to find a way to win, and that’s a good feeling to have as a coach standing back there.”

Here are three more takeaways from the win:

1. Head games

Lehner engaged in a little mental warfare after Game 1 when he said he anticipated the Blackhawks would try to beat him through the five-hole on scoring chances in tight.

“It becomes a little bit of reverse psychology,” he said. “I knew that they know, and they were going to mix it up a little bit on me.”

The leveling war seemed to continue Thursday, with Chicago passing up several opportunities to fire rubber on net. Is Lehner in his former teammates’ heads?

Alex DeBrincat had a high-danger chance about a minute into the second period but tried to find a teammate in front rather than shoot. The Blackhawks opted for the extra pass against Lehner on a handful of occasions, with only Dylan Strome’s tying goal late in the second to show for the creativity.

“I thought Chicago played really well,” Lehner said. “Everyone keeps saying they’re underdogs, but you look at their team, the experience, the skill. It’s Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane out there. It’s a lot of skill, and they’re world-class players, so when they get opportunities it’s hard.”

2. No answer

The Blackhawks’ lack of depth on defense is being exposed by the second line of Jonathan Marchessault, Paul Stastny and Reilly Smith.

The three were on the ice for three of the Knights’ four goals in Game 1 and combined for two goals and four assists in Thursday’s victory.

Marchessault, Stastny and Smith have driven play at five-on-five with a 31-20 edge in shot attempts and 15-9 advantage in scoring chances, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.

Marchessault has six points (two goals, four assists) in his past three games.

“I think when (Marchessault) holds on to the puck a little bit, I think that’s when we create a lot,” Stastny said. “We had close support, whether it was in the neutral zone or whether it was in the offensive zone, and that created a lot of chances.”

3. Setting the table

Smith reached in the jar to pull out the winning goal, but it was the third line of Nick Cousins, Nicolas Roy and Alex Tuch that loosened the lid moments earlier.

That unit buzzed in the Blackhawks’ zone for close to 45 seconds and generated four shots on goal. That doesn’t include McNabb’s shot that went off the goalpost at 6:56 of overtime.

“(Cousins) extended that play on the winning goal to get it in with some possession while the other two guys changed, and we got Reilly Smith out there fresh with (Stastny),” DeBoer said. “We ask those guys to (set the table physically), and I thought they were real effective tonight.”

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.