Fleury has started just three games so far this postseason, while teammate Robin Lehner has appeared in 12, including the club's Game 7 win over the Vancouver Canucks.
Since Sep. 1, Lehner has started three games and stopped 48 of the 53 shots he faced, including a shutout in Game 7 to help send Vegas to the Western Conference Final.
Fleury has won all three of the contests he's appeared in so far this postseason. He played once during the round-robin, once against the Chicago Blackhawks, and once against the Canucks. His last start was on Aug. 30.
Stamkos has been nursing an unspecified lower-body injury since Phase 2 of the NHL's return-to-play plan and hasn't suited up this postseason.
The 30-year-old sniper also missed time during the regular season as he underwent core-muscle surgery in February. He notched 29 goals and 37 assists in 66 games.
The Lightning have managed a 10-3 record despite Stamkos' absence following the league's hiatus.
This is the second edition of theScore's rankings of the top candidates to be named 2019-20 playoff MVP. We've only featured players still competing in the postseason, which officially includes the qualifying round and round-robin stage.
5. Mark Stone
Dave Sandford / National Hockey League / Getty
Stone contributes more to team wins than most players do. The gifted Vegas Golden Knights winger posted a point per game in the first two rounds and round-robin play, recording six goals and nine assists in 15 contests.
Stone also plays a critical shutdown role on the defensive end, frequently being tasked with containing some of the most dynamic stars in the league on the Chicago Blackhawks and Vancouver Canucks in Rounds 1 and 2, respectively.
The 28-year-old possesses a blistering 69.69% expected goals rate at 5-on-5 entering the Western Conference Final, and his scoring chances for (62.5%) and Corsi For (60.93%) figures only underscore his value further.
4. Shea Theodore
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty
It's safe to say the Anaheim Ducks are still kicking themselves for trading Theodore to the Golden Knights at the 2017 expansion draft, and the defenseman is making his old club regret that decision more than ever this postseason.
This list's No. 1 is the only player with more points among blue-liners heading into the conference finals - Theodore's produced six goals and 10 assists in 15 games in just over 22 minutes of ice time.
The 25-year-old is particularly formidable lately, burying two goals in the last three games ahead of Round 3 and amassing two goals and eight assists over a seven-game span, including three multi-point efforts from Aug. 16-Sept. 1.
3. Brayden Point
Elsa / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Point is certainly living up to his last name in these playoffs, and his production is critical to the Tampa Bay Lightning's success, especially in the absence of injured captain Steven Stamkos.
Entering the conference finals, the 24-year-old forward led all NHL skaters still competing with 1.38 points per game. He's collected six goals and 12 assists in 13 games played through the first two rounds and the round-robin stage. He only earned two of his 18 points on the power play - and both were helpers - making his output look even more impressive.
Point occasionally gets overlooked because of the Lightning's catalog of superstars, but he's a game-changer in his own right. The skilled center boasts terrific possession figures entering Round 3, going above 60% in expected goals for (65.22), scoring chances for (60.95), and Corsi For (61.26) at 5-on-5.
2. Andrei Vasilevskiy
Chase Agnello-Dean / National Hockey League / Getty
Vasilevskiy does have a potent offense in front of him, but he deserves ample recognition for his stellar performance this postseason.
The Lightning goaltender is pacing the remaining puck-stoppers with a .931 save percentage in all situations, and a 6.03 goals saved above average at 5-on-5 alongside his 10-3 record. A 45-save effort against the Boston Bruins in Game 5padded those numbers, but he authored a commendable .927 save percentage in the 12 previous contests.
It's rare to see someone so young become the most valuable still-competing player in the conference finals, but that's what Heiskanen is.
The 21-year-old led all active skaters in playoff points with 21 in 16 games heading into the third round, while averaging nearly 26 minutes of ice time.
That's remarkable,considering not just theDallas Starsdefenseman's age, but his position.Heiskanen is also effectively driving possession -his expected goals for (53.53), scoring chances for (52.59), and Corsi For (50.71) percentages at 5-on-5 are all favorable through the second round.
The Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars both left it late in Round 2 but moved on to the Western Conference Final by edging out their respective opponents in pivotal Game 7s.
Vegas finished 2019-20 regular season with the third-best record in the West, while Dallas finished with the fourth. With two dynamic teams set to butt heads for a chance to play for the Stanley Cup, let's take a look at the upcoming series.
Schedule
Game 1 is set for Sunday at 8 p.m. ET. Times for the rest of the series have yet to be announced.
Tale of the tape
Stars
Stat
Golden Knights
3.31
Goals per game
3.27
3.50
Goals against
2.33
28.3
Power play %
20.5
82.3
Penalty kill %
87.8
49.34
5-on-5 xGF %
64.11
9.04
5-on-5 SH %
7.76
.906
5-on-5 SV %
.914
How they got here
Stars: Dallas didn't look very threatening in the round robin, finishing 1-2 and scoring just five goals. It seemed like the Stars were headed toward an early exit after dropping two of the first three games of their opening-round series against the Calgary Flames. Then they flipped the switch.
Since Game 4 of that series, the Stars have scored an impressive 42 goals in 10 games.
After going up 3-1 against the Colorado Avalanche, the Stars hit a speed bump and ultimately needed seven games and overtime in the deciding match to advance.
Golden Knights: Vegas was one of the league's hottest teams toward the end of the regular season, finishing the year with 11 wins in 13 games. They nabbed the top seed in the round robin with a perfect 3-0 record and took care of the Chicago Blackhawks in five games in Round 1.
Vegas looked like it was in for another quick series after going up 3-1 against the Vancouver Canucks in Round 2, but Thatcher Demko stepped into the crease and nearly stole the series.
The Golden Knights managed 273 shots on goal in the second-round series but only potted 19 goals. They dominated the Canucks in nearly every facet of the game but ultimately needed an exhausting extra few games to progress.
Key players to watch
Miro Heiskanen
Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / Getty
Many people were already aware of his special talent, but this postseason has really felt like Heiskanen's true coming-out party. The 21-year-old Finnish phenomenon has been electric since the beginning of the postseason and is one of the main reasons the Stars find themselves a step away from the Stanley Cup Final.
He leads all active players in these playoffs with 21 points and has been Dallas' best player by far, getting things done on both ends of the ice.
Mark Stone
Dave Sandford / National Hockey League / Getty
Stone has continued to show through this postseason that he's one of the league's best all-around players. He's contributed six goals and nine assists in 15 games for Vegas thus far, but his contributions go much deeper than his point totals.
At even strength, Stone owns a 60.93 Corsi For rating and a 69.69 expected goals for percentage. His team has generated 72 high-danger scoring chances with him on the ice and conceded just 43 against. His 13 takeaways rank fourth among all forwards. Opponents need to keep an eye on him at all times when he's on the ice, as he simply does it all.
Dallas can win if ...
As obvious as it sounds, the Stars simply need to continue scoring. With goaltender Anton Khudobin expected to carry the load in net, Dallas will need to continue to support him as much as possible - they surrendered 29 goals - 4.14 per game - to the Avalanche last round.
Between the regular season and postseason, Khudobin has already played in 44 games - exceeding his career high of 41 last season. Fatigue is likely to set in while Ben Bishop remains unfit to play, so Dallas will need to step up in front of him.
The Stars ranked 28th in the league in goals per game (2.58) during the regular season, so they'll need to build on their newfound scoring touch if they want a shot at toppling Vegas.
Vegas can win if ...
The Golden Knights have been doing almost everything right so far this postseason. At five-on-five, Vegas leads all postseason teams with a 60.62 Corsi For rating and 64.11 expected goals for percentage. The Golden Knights control play at both ends and don't give teams much room to breathe.
If there's one thing to point out, it's that Vegas needs to continue to ride Robin Lehner in net. He's a key reason why the team has allowed so few goals this postseason, and he certainly can't be blamed for Vegas' losses against Vancouver. He gives the Golden Knights the best chance to win, and it seems he has their full trust. Marc-Andre Fleury has been the No. 1 starter since the team's inception in 2017, but Lehner's been spectacular since arriving at the trade deadline. He's started 12 of his team's 15 games this postseason, and that shouldn't change moving forward.
X-factors
Tyler Seguin
Dave Sandford / National Hockey League / Getty
After one of the quietest regular seasons of his career, Seguin hasn't been his usual dynamic self this postseason, either. He's totaled just two goals and five assists through 15 games, so the Stars would greatly benefit if the 28-year-old can break through this series.
Joe Pavelski, Alexander Radulov, Denis Gurianov, and Jamie Benn have combined for 28 of Dallas' 53 goals this postseason. If Seguin can regain his scoring touch, Vegas could struggle to contain the Stars' offense.
Shea Theodore
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Theodore is quietly leading the Golden Knights in points with 16. He was the only player able to score a goal - he did so twice - on Demko last series. He sits third on the team with 22:20 minutes of ice time per game. It may not be obvious, but Theodore has been vital to the Golden Knights' success.
His 69.70 expected goals for percentage at five-on-five ranks first among all defensemen this postseason. He's helped generate 86 high-danger scoring chances at five-on-five, which ranks first among all skaters. He's been nothing short of incredible this postseason, and if he can maintain his momentum, Vegas will find itself in a good position to advance.
The Arizona Coyotes may be looking between the benches for their next general manager.
"An interesting name surfaced this week, Ron, and that's Pierre McGuire," Sportsnet's Chris Johnston reported while addressing host Ron MacLean on "Saturday Headlines."
"The longtime broadcaster working at NBC has had some conversations with the Coyotes about that opening," Johnston added.
"What's interesting here, to me, is that Steve Sullivan, who's holding the job on an interim basis, is taking calls right now ... I know he's getting a lot of interest in (goaltender) Darcy Kuemper ... so in the background of this GM search, (Sullivan) is also talking to some teams about trades."
McGuire has been a broadcaster since 1997, and with NBC since 2011. The 59-year-old previously held coaching, scouting, and executive roles with several clubs, including the Pittsburgh Penguins and Hartford Whalers.
Arizona also reportedly interviewed Penguins assistant GM Jason Karmanos for the Coyotes' GM job.
John Chayka, Arizona's previous GM, terminated his contract in late July, and the team accused him of "quitting" on the club as postseason play was beginning.
Motte exited the game briefly but eventually returned. Reaves received a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for the hit.
Reaves has played a vital role on the Golden Knights' fourth-line this postseason, collecting four assists and adding a league-leading 74 hits. He was also suspended once before in 2016 for boarding.
Vegas will take on the Dallas Stars in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET.
