ANAHEIM -- Mark Stone will not play for the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 4 of the Western Conference Second Round against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on Sunday (9:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN360, SN, TVAS).
The forward and Golden Knights captain has an undisclosed injury sustained during a 6-2 win in Game 3 here on Friday. Stone did not play in the second or third period.
Vegas has a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series.
“Out,” coach John Tortorella said when asked about Stone prior to the morning skate.
Brandon Saad will replace Stone in the lineup. The forward has yet to play in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“It’s a tough guy to replace, so I think for us it’s just next man up, playing a good team game, and we’ve been doing a good job of that,” Saad said. “That’s something as a group we have a lot of depth to be able to do that.
“We have to do it as a group, and we have a lot of good leaders in this room and we’ll all have to step up collectively in that regard.”
Stone has seven points (three goals, four assists) in nine games this postseason. He is the Golden Knights’ all-time playoff leader with 79 points (39 goals, 40 assists) in 94 games.
He had 73 points (28 goals, 45 assists) in 60 regular-season games.
“‘Stoney’ is obviously a huge piece of this team,” Vegas forward Nic Dowd said. “I, coming in late in the season (acquired in a trade from the Washington Capitals on March 5), Stoney was out, and I think he makes a big difference.
“But we have guys that can step up and toe the line, and obviously he’s still around and he’s going to be there for us, but I think we have plenty of guys in this group that can step up. And although it’s a big void to fill, I think we can do it as a group.”
Stone missed 16 games from Oct. 20-Nov. 24 with a wrist injury. The 33-year-old did not play in a 6-4 win at the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 25 and also missed five games from March 3-10 because of a lower-body injury.
Vegas was 31-17-12 when Stone played during the regular season and 8-9-5 without him.
“He’s got such a presence in the locker room and he’s a tremendous player on the ice and we’re all going to have to step up,” Golden Knights forward Colton Sissons said. “We have to do it as a group and we have a lot of good leaders in this room, and we’ll all have to step up collectively in that regard.”
