Music: {allcanada} 3 Keys: Golden Knights vs. Canucks, Game 6 of Western Second Round

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No. 1 Golden Knights vs No. 5 Canucks

9:45 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS

Vegas leads best-of-7 series, 3-2

The Vegas Golden Knights can advance to the Western Conference Final for the second time in their first three seasons if they defeat the Vancouver Canucks in Game 6 of the Western Conference Second Round at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Thursday.

It will be the second chance for the Golden Knights to close out the best-of-7 series. They lost 2-1 in Game 5 on Tuesday in Edmonton, the Western hub city.

Canucks rookie goalie Thatcher Demko made 42 saves in his first Stanley Cup Playoffs start in Game 5. Jacob Markstrom, who had started the first 14 postseason games for Vancouver, was unfit to play. As part of the NHL Return to Play Plan, a team is not permitted to disclose player injury or illness information.

Demko has a 0.88 goals-against average and .979 save percentage in two NHL postseason games. He made five saves on five shots in 8:26 of relief in his NHL playoff debut in Game 1 against Vegas on Aug. 23, a 5-0 loss, after Markstrom allowed five goals on 34 shots.

Canucks coach Travis Green did not name a starter for Game 6.

"We know they're going to come out hard," Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers said. "Teams always do respond coming in after a loss. We know we're going to get their best, so we're going to have to make sure we elevate our game."

Teams that win Games 5 and 6 after trailing a series 3-1 are 29-28 (50.8 percent) winning a best-of-7 Stanley Cup Playoff series.

Here are 3 keys for Game 6:

1. Golden Knights goalie decision

Golden Knights coach Peter DeBoer did not say if Robin Lehner or Marc-Andre Fleury will be their starting goalie in Game 6.

Lehner started and made 15 saves in Game 5, after Fleury made 28 saves in a 5-3 win in Game 4 on Sunday, the second of a back-to-back. If needed, Game 7 of this series is scheduled as part of a back-to-back Friday.

"You know what, I'll be honest with you, I'm not even thinking about [Game 7]," DeBoer said. "We'll think about seven if we need to think about seven."

Lehner is 7-3-0 with a 2.08 goals-against average, .918 save percentage and two shutouts in 10 postseason games. Fleury is 3-0-0 with a 2.67 GAA and .893 save percentage in three games.

2. Generating chances

The Golden Knights weren't rewarded but pleased with their effort in Game 5, which included 43 shots on goal and 79 shot attempts (13 blocked).

"I think if we're in front of [the goalie's] eyes, then we get second and third chances and, more importantly, it's harder for Demko or Markstrom or whoever plays in net, to kind of control the rebounds," Golden Knights forward Paul Stastny said. "All these goalies are good and whatever they see, they're going to stop, unless it's a screen or second and third chance, whether it's off a rebound or a deflection."

3. Miller time

J.T. Miller has been playing at another level, getting an assist on the past six Vancouver goals dating to Game 2 of the series.

He matched the NHL playoff mark for the longest stretch of consecutive team goals with an assist in a single postseason, joining Henrik Sedin (2011, Canucks), Denis Savard (1992, Montreal Canadiens), Doug Gilmour (1986, St. Louis Blues) and Don McKenney (1958, Boston Bruins).

"[Miller's] brought a lot of different attributes to our team," Green said. "He's probably never been in this type of role where he was one of the key figures on the ice playing a first-line role (with Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser).

"He's grabbed the bull by the horns, off ice as well, and taken a leadership approach with our group. He wants to win badly, and I think for a young team, you need a few of those guys around that are very competitive and skilled."