Stone out for Golden Knights in Game 1 of West Final
Vegas captain Mark Stone (https://www.nhl.com/player/mark-stone-8475913) did not play for the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena on Wednesday. The Golden Knights captain remained out with a lower-body injury, having last played in Game 3 of the second round against the Anaheim Ducks, which Vegas won in six games. Stone did skate with what appeared to be the team’s scratches at the arena in the morning, but coach John Tortorella was non-committal on his status at the time.
"There's no update on injuries right now,"Tortorella said. "I know he was on the ice. You saw that. But there's no update." The 34-year-old forward had 73 points (28 goals, 45 assists) in 60 games in the regular season and has seven points (three goals, four assists) in nine Stanley Cup Playoff games. Stone helped Vegas win the Stanley Cup in 2023 and is its all-time leader in goals (39) and points (79) in the playoffs.
"It's always a next-man-up mentality," forward Keegan Kolesar (https://www.nhl.com/player/keegan-kolesar-8478434) said. "With guys like him, it's hard to do that." Kolesar credited forwards Mitch Marner (https://www.nhl.com/player/mitchell-marner-8478483) and Pavel Dorofeyev (https://www.nhl.com/player/pavel-dorofeyev-8481604) for making up for the loss of Stone.
How will the Golden Knights match up against the Avalanche in the Western Conference Final?
Marner leads the NHL this postseason with 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 12 games, including five points (one goal, four assists) in the past three. Dorofeyev leads the playoffs with nine goals in 12 games; he has five during a three-game goal streak. He’s just a presence, Tortorella said. "He’s won here. He’s so well respected in the room. I love the way he handles himself. He doesn’t say a lot, but he carries himself the proper way." Karlsson, who returned from a lower-body injury at the start of the second round and has helped fill the void in terms of leadership and two-way play, has been with the Golden Knights since they joined the NHL as an expansion team in 2017-18. He ranks third in goals (31) and is tied with defenseman Shea Theodore (https://www.nhl.com/player/shea-theodore-8477447) for third in points (74) in the playoffs in Vegas history.
This raises a deeper question: What if we don't take Stone out? How would the team adapt when the star forward is unavailable? A detail that I find especially interesting is the importance of a return player like Karlsson. If you take a step back and think about it, it suggests that even with a strong forward, a veteran can provide continuity and depth.
