The Golden Knights have Robin Lehner.
But the Blackhawks have both Ryan Carpenter and Malcolm Subban.
While Lehner — now officially Vegas’ starting goaltender in Game 1 on Tuesday night — will almost certainly make a bigger on-ice impact on the series than fourth-line forward Carpenter and backup goalie Subban combined, the Hawks’ two former Knights can provide arguably more inside information.
Coach Jeremy Colliton said the Hawks’ coaching staff has “of course” talked to both players for tips on the Knights’ strengths and weaknesses.
“We want to get all the information we can as far as what to expect and to help to prepare the team,” Colliton said. “They were both very helpful.”
“Obviously they have the same on their side, and that’s just part of playoff hockey — trying to think of everything and then just deciding what you’re going to give to the team.”
Both players have actually spent more than half their NHL careers to date in Vegas.
Sixty-three of Subban’s 66 starts were for the Knights over the past three seasons, despite being drafted by the Bruins and now playing for the Hawks. He backed up Marc-Andre Fleury from the moment of Vegas’ franchise inception until the Lehner trade in February.
And 121 of Carpenter’s 222 regular and postseason NHL appearances took place with the Knights during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, after being waived by the Sharks and before signing in Chicago last summer.
He even played 17 games, tallying five assists, during the Knights’ 2018 run to the Stanley Cup Final.
“Their whole team, they had a bunch of guys trying to prove themselves, and I was one of them,” Carpenter said Tuesday. “They’re a ... really hard-working team, fast, strong, good all over the ice. They’re well-coached, good goaltending. For my time in Vegas, I felt like they were a confident group, but it feels like that’s been forever ago.”
Unfortunately for the Hawks, the Knights made a coaching change — from Gerard Gallant to Pete DeBoer — in January, and DeBoer inevitably changed some of their old tactics.
Carpenter was long gone by then, and Subban started only three games under DeBoer (he did win all three).
“I wasn’t there when Pete DeBoer took over, so they may have a little bit different systems and structures,” Carpenter said. “I maybe know some of the players a little bit, so maybe that helps a little bit with the pre-scout.”
“But when it comes down to these playoffs, you want to focus on the other team a little bit and make adjustments, but we’re really trying to focus on our game and what we need to do to be successful.”
