"He's seeing the doctors," DeBoer said Wednesday. "I'm confident he's going to be able to play and play sooner than later."
Lehner did not practiced for a third straight day and was not available when center Jack Eichel made his season debut in a 2-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche at T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday.
DeBoer said the injury is unrelated to what general manager Kelly McCrimmon said was "cleanup surgery" Lehner had on his left shoulder one week after the 30-year-old signed a five-year contract Oct. 3, 2020.
Goalie Laurent Brossoit made 23 saves for the Golden Knights against the Avalanche. Logan Thompson was recalled from Henderson of the American Hockey League on Monday as backed up Broissoit.
"I think for 'L.B.' just to do what he's done," DeBoer said. "He's played really well all year (9-4-2, 2.66 goals-against average, .905 save percentage) and I think the guys are confident in him. We're confident in him. You know, it might be a blessing in disguise. He gets to run with a few games. Robin gets to recharge and reset and get himself healthy and we'll have two good guys down the stretch."
Lehner is 19-13-1 with a 2.86 GAA, .907 save percentage and one shutout in 34 games this season. His last start was Feb. 9, when he made 27 saves in a 6-0 loss at the Calgary Flames. He's in his first full season as the No. 1 goalie for Vegas after Marc-Andre Fleury was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks on July 27.
The Golden Knights
will not try to reacquire Fleury in a trade
, McCrimmon told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Tuesday.
Eichel played his first NHL game since March 7, 2021. The center was acquired Nov. 4, 2021 in a trade with Buffalo Sabres for a package including forwards Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs, and had artificial disk replacement surgery Nov. 12.
Forward Mark Stone (back) was placed on long-term injured reserve Monday, which created room for Eichel under the NHL salary cap.
"I think that's been really frustrating for Mark, and yet that's the types of things that we've got to try to get to the bottom of, and it's going to take time," McCrimmon said. "How much time is going to be the first question, and we don't know that. ... It will take the time it takes."
NHL.com staff writer Tom Gulitti contributed to this report
