Play of the Day: Stone Scores On Forecheck

If you've ever skated on the T-Mobile Arena ice with a puck on your stick, odds are that Mark Stone has tried to take that puck away from you.

Stone, known around the league as one of the top defensive forwards in the NHL, uses his hockey sense and his long reach to force turnovers and win the puck back for his team. When the Vegas Golden Knights hosted the Anaheim Ducks on New Year's Eve, Stone's ability to create havoc in the offensive zone was on display late in the first period.

With Anaheim leading 1-0, the Golden Knights got the puck deep into the offensive zone and set themselves to stymie the ensuing breakout from the Ducks. As young forward Sam Steel tried to use his speed to cut across the middle of the ice, Stone stepped into him. Steel fell to the ice and puck came back to defenseman Erik Gudbranson who tried get the puck out of danger.

As Gudbranson looked to make a pass to Hampus Lindholm along the left boards, Max Pacioretty closed in on him and deflected the pass out of mid-air. As Gudbranson dove to get the puck out of the middle of the ice, Stone skated right into it.

Goalie John Gibson went down at the top of his crease as Stone picked up the puck and tried to cut down any shooting angle. As Gibson fell to his knees, Stone lifted the puck up over his shoulder and into the top right corner. The Stone-Pacioretty forechecking crew forced the Ducks to turn the puck over in their own zone twice and all Stone needed was one touch to hit the back of the net.