Golden Knights’ Mark Stone out for Game 4 with injury
The Vegas Golden Knights are going to be missing a key piece to their lineup for Game 4.
Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella announced on Sunday that winger Mark Stone will not be in the lineup for Game 4 in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Anaheim Ducks due to an injury.
Stone sustained the injury late in the first period of the Golden Knights’ 6-2 win in Game 3 against the Ducks on Friday. As the Ducks were moving the puck up the ice, Stone backchecked Alex Killorn while he had the puck, and a collision between the two players resulted in Stone sustaining some form of injury.
Stone did not return to the bench for the second period, although with the Golden Knights already up 3-0 in the game at the time, it felt possible that it was merely precautionary. However, with the news today, it’s apparent that there was more to the injury, and he now finds himself day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.
Stone finished the game with a secondary assist on the opening goal in 4:24 of ice time.
Stone’s production will be missed, as he had three goals and four assists for seven points in nine games so far in the playoffs. And of course, his elite defensive play will be missed in the lineup as well.
Stone is coming off of a career year in the regular season which saw him tie his career high of 28 goals and along with 45 assists, he set a new career high in points with 73 in 60 games. This season was his best both in terms of raw point totals and in points per game, with him ranking 12th in the league in the latter stat.
With Stone out of the lineup, Pavel Dorofeyev will replace him on the top line alongside Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev. The trio have spent 52:12 of ice time together in the playoffs, outscoring their opponents 3-2 with a 56.92% 5v5 score-adjusted expected goal share.
In addition, Brandon Saad will draw into the lineup in place of Stone. Saad has yet to play in the playoffs, but had three goals and six assists for nine points in 49 games in the regular season.
The Golden Knights currently have the advantage in the second round with a 2-1 series lead over the Ducks. Vegas will look to push Anaheim to the brink in Game 4 on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. PT.