The Vegas Golden Knights just got hit with more bad news in their uphill battle against the Edmonton Oilers.
Team captain Mark Stone left Game 3 with an upper-body injury and won’t be coming back – a huge blow for a team already down 2-0 in the series.
The injury happened during a wild first period. Stone was chasing Oilers forward Corey Perry when he lost his footing and went down hard, his head colliding with Perry’s knee. Though he made it back to the bench at first, Stone soon disappeared down the tunnel to the locker room.
He didn’t come out for the second period.
This couldn’t come at a worse time for Vegas. Stone’s been on fire in these playoffs, leading the team with 4 goals in 8 games. He was also their second-highest scorer in the regular season with 67 points, just behind Jack Eichel.
Last year’s Stanley Cup run showed just how valuable Stone is to this team. He was practically unstoppable, racking up 24 points in 22 games while shutting down the opposition’s best players.
“He’s the heart and soul of this team,” one Vegas fan said. “Losing him now is devastating.”
The Golden Knights will now need even more from Eichel, while players like Tomas Hertl and Ivan Barbashev will have to step up big time.
It’s a tall order for a team that’s already fighting for survival in this series. Without their captain, the Knights’ hopes of mounting a comeback just got a lot tougher.
