The Vegas Golden Knights are in a tight battle for one of the final playoff spots in the western conference. On Friday, things got much more difficult. Vegas goaltender Robin Lehner is reportedly going to have season-ending knee surgery. That's a huge blow to a team without much experience or depth in net.

Lehner was first injured on March 8th in a loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. He did not travel with the team for some time after that, having to be examined by team doctors. Lehner eventually got the green light to return to the Golden Knights.

He made his return at the beginning of April and started five games for Vegas. He went 2-2-1 with a 3.21 goals against average and an .889 save percentage. Obviously, those are not great numbers. But the other options for the Golden Knights are rookie Logan Thompson and Laurent Brossoit.

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Brossoit has been mostly putrid this season. However, the Golden Knights have got a nice surprise thus far out of Thompson. Shortly after Lehner's initial injury, Thompson got eight straight starts and won six of them. He has posted solid numbers in goal with a 2.56 GAA and a .920 save percentage. But one has to wonder if the rookie can continue his solid play down the stretch.

There are only four games left in the season. The Golden Knights are two points behind the Dallas Stars for the final wild card spot. Vegas does have a favorable schedule remaining, with games against the Sharks and Blackhawks. The biggest game of the year will likely be Tuesday when Vegas travels to Dallas. That game might ultimately decide who makes the postseason.

It appears the Golden Knights will need to rely on their rookie goaltender to not only get them into the playoffs, but even beyond.