Mark Stone’s Injury Not Serious, Golden Knights Face Wild Setback

Mark Stone’s latest injury may have caught some off guard, but the Vegas Golden Knights are reassuring fans that it’s not as serious as initially feared. The team’s general manager, Kelly McCrimmon, provided an optimistic update on Friday, stating that the situation is under control and that a lengthy absence is not anticipated for their captain.

The 33-year-old Stone was placed on injured reserve on Thursday due to an upper-body injury sustained during Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The injury occurred when Penguins defenseman Kris Letang delivered a light check, causing Stone to kneel before slowly making his way to the bench.

Friday marked Stone’s third consecutive game missed, this time against the Minnesota Wild, and he is also set to sit out Sunday’s home matchup against the Edmonton Oilers. However, he will be eligible to return after that. When asked if the injury might be connected to Stone’s previously surgically repaired back, McCrimmon chose not to confirm but maintained a reassuring tone, saying, “I think we’re really comfortable that it’s manageable. We’re not alarmed by the injury that he has.”

Meanwhile, head coach Bruce Cassidy reported that Stone is receiving treatment at City National Arena and remains in good spirits. This is the best possible news for Stone, who had been enjoying a career season despite missing 16 games earlier in the year due to a broken finger.

Unfortunately for the Golden Knights, they faced a setback on Friday, suffering a 4-2 defeat to the Minnesota Wild. The Wild surged in the second period, scoring three goals in just over three minutes to pull away from Vegas. Mats Zuccarello ignited the scoring with a precise wrist shot at 5:18, followed by Zach Bogosian’s slap shot at 8:07, and newcomer Michael McCarron tipping in a third just 18 seconds later. Vladimir Tarasenko added an insurance goal with 4:18 left in the third, assisted by McCarron in his Wild debut.

Vegas fought back with third-period goals from Pavel Dorofeyev and Mitch Marner. Dorofeyev’s power-play goal at 2:17 marked his 30th of the season and ended goaltender Filip Gustavsson’s bid for a shutout. Akira Schmid, in goal for Vegas, finished the night with 20 saves.

Friday’s game also featured several notable debuts for the Wild, including Robby Fabbri, Bobby Brink, and Nick Foligno, who joined his younger brother Marcus after being traded from Chicago. Meanwhile, Vegas debuted Nic Dowd and Cole Smith, with Dowd acquired earlier that day from Washington.

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.