Vegas Golden Knights RW Mark Stone was able to return to the lineup prior to the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Stone had multiple back surgeries that held him out of games during the regular season. Despite all that, Stone was able to post eight points (three goals, five assists) in five games during the first round against the Winnipeg Jets. Here we’ll go over his status for Game 1 of their second-round series vs. the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night.
Mark Stone injury updates
Update — Cassidy confirmed this afternoon that Stone will play vs. the Oilers in Game 1 on Wednesday night. So the Golden Knights will be at mostly full strength from the first round. Having Stone in there and healthy is a big boost. He’s one of the more effective two-way forwards in the NHL. The Golden Knights at +100 at home in Game 1 is where I’d look on DraftKings Sportsbook. We could see that line move a bit.
As of now, we don’t know if Stone will be able to go in Game 1. We should go into this game under the assumption that Stone is good to go. Vegas will likely have a morning skate and we should get an update on Stone after that. This could be a situation where Stone is a game-time decision or will see how he feels during pregame warmups.
Stone is skating on the second line with Chandler Stephenson and Brett Howden. Stone is also on the first power play, so if he were to sit, we’d see some shuffling from head coach Bruce Cassidy. That could mean Matt Amadio moving back up into the top-6 forward group.
The Golden Knights are home underdogs going up against Connor McDavid and the Oilers. Vegas is +100 on the moneyline and the over/under is set at 6.5 goals.