Golden Knights win in shootout in Robin Lehner’s return to Long Island

There was nothing easy about Robin Lehner’s return to Long Island, from the tidal wave of emotions to a frantic finish in the third period Sunday.

It was only fitting the Golden Knights goaltender would need to overcome his archnemesis — the shootout — in order to beat his former club.

Lehner stopped both attempts by the New York Islanders in the shootout, and the Knights capped a sweep of their four-game road trip with a 4-3 win at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York.

“It’s so much more than hockey for me,” Lehner said. “I can’t explain it, the love I have for the guys there, this team, the organization, the fans, what they helped me do in my life.

“Being back here it was emotional seeing everyone. But I thought it was a hard-fought game. It was fun to win in a shootout.”

Lehner spent one season with the Islanders in 2018-19 and was embraced by the fan base after he detailed his bipolar 1 diagnosis and recovery from alcohol and substance abuse in an essay.

It was his first appearance in front of Islanders fans since April 28, 2019, at Barclays Center in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Carolina.

“I couldn’t believe how he’s so appreciated here,” said Jonathan Marchessault, who scored his team-leading 14th goal in the first period. “I was actually really happy to be part of that and to see that because he is definitely a lovable guy to be around and we definitely wanted him to get a big win here.”

The Knights overcame a late, two-goal surge by the Islanders to give Lehner a victory in his homecoming.

Defenseman Shea Theodore scored twice in the third period, including the tying goal on a drive from the point with 47.1 seconds remaining in regulation. Theodore and Nicolas Roy scored in the shootout.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

1. Warm welcome

Lehner was clean-shaven for his return, a nod to Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello’s policy against facial hair.

“When you’re in Lou’s building, you respect the boss’s rules,” Lehner said. “That’s how it goes.”

During the first period, the Islanders honored Lehner with a video tribute. He fought back tears as he pointed to the tattoo of Long Island on his neck and gave a thumbs up to the crowd.

Lehner took the blame for Kieffer Bellows’ tying goal from distance with 5:41 remaining in third period, and was beaten cleanly from close range by Jean-Gabriel Pageau for the go-ahead goal with 2:20 left.

That goal came less than a minute after the Knights successfully challenged for offside to wipe out the apparent go-ahead goal by Cal Clutterbuck.

Lehner finished with 29 saves, including seven in the overtime. After entering the season as one of the worst shootout goalies in NHL history, Lehner is 2-0 this season and stopped five of six attempts overall.

“It was special, and a tough, tough game for him to play obviously,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “I thought he battled for us.”

2. Back on top

The Knights are the first team in the Western Conference to reach 20 wins and lead the Pacific Division standings by points percentage, ahead of Anaheim.

They extended their winning streak to a season-high five games and have won eight of their past nine.

After getting through a difficult portion of their schedule, the Knights return home and have a chance to create some breathing room in the standings with nine of their next 10 games at T-Mobile Arena.

“I think just a lot of pieces coming together at the right times,” Theodore said. “From good goaltending to timely goals. It’s been big.”

3. Missing piece

The Knights played without captain Mark Stone, who was scratched because of an upper-body injury, according to the TV broadcast.

The fact it’s not related to COVID-19 is a sigh of relief after dozens of players around the league entered protocol.

Stone led the team’s forwards with 20:26 of ice time in Friday’s 3-2 shootout victory over the New York Rangers. That was the second of back-to-back games.

He has 21 points (four goals, 17 assists) in 18 games despite missing a month with a lower-body injury sustained in the second game of the season.

“He missed time earlier in the year and it was serious,” DeBoer said. “I don’t think that’s the case this time around.”

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