The Vegas Golden Knights’ victory over the Anaheim Ducks in Game 3 was overshadowed by an injury to captain Mark Stone.
Stone left Friday’s game with a lower-body injury. The incident occurred with 1:03 remaining in the first period. He appeared to strain something while skating in the neutral zone during a Knights power play.
He briefly returned to the bench in the second period, skated during a TV timeout, but then went down the tunnel and did not return to the game.
No Injury Updates From Tortorella
Coach John Tortorella has announced he will not be providing any updates on injured players. Tortorella stated he had not yet spoken to the training staff. The coach’s decision raises concerns about Stone’s availability for Sunday’s Game 4 at Honda Center.
“I’m going to tell you guys, I’m not going to give you any updates on injuries,” Tortorella said. “So, you might as well stop asking that question.”
Knights Power Through Despite Stone’s Absence
The Knights secured a 6-2 victory in Game 3 despite Stone’s injury. Vegas took a 3-0 lead into the second period. They extended it to 5-0 after 40 minutes.
Despite the scoreline, Tortorella said “there’s still a lot of things we need to clean up in our game.”
Stone played 4 minutes, 24 seconds and had an assist in seven shifts before exiting.
Concerns Over Stone’s Injury History
Any injury to Stone is a cause for concern given his recent history. He missed 22 games in the regular season. Sixteen were at the start of the year due to a broken finger. Five more were due to an upper-body injury in March, and one was for rest purposes following the Winter Olympics.
Stone missed 126 games from 2022-25 between two back surgeries, a lacerated spleen and a pulled muscle.
Despite the missed time this year, Stone had 28 goals and tied his career-high with 73 points.
“You never want to see somebody go down, especially somebody like (Stone),” center Jack Eichel said. “He means so much to the group, both on the ice with his play and his leadership and intangibles he brings to our group.”
Potential Lineup Changes
If Stone is unavailable for Sunday’s game, the Knights have options in Brandon Saad or Reilly Smith. Saad last played on April 11 in Colorado, while Smith hasn’t played since the clinching Game 6 in Utah on May 1.
Either one would likely skate on the third line. Pavel Dorofeyev would return to the top line with Eichel and left wing Ivan Barbashev.
Series Advantage for Vegas
- The Knights lead the best-of-seven series 2-1.
- They’re 6-0 in series when they have a 2-1 lead.
- They started the series at home.
Anaheim is coming off its worse game of the series after controlling play through the first two. The dynamic could change if Stone is out.
“Tons of credit to the group,” Eichel said. “I think everyone’s kind of stepped up a bit. When something like that happens, lines are going to be rolling around and moving a bit, I don’t think we broke stride and just tried to continue what we