Stone’s clutch gene sparking another run at Stanley Cup for Golden Knights

LAS VEGAS -- Just call him Captain Clutch.

Yes, Mark Stone isn’t the most durable of players, having never played more than 66 games in any of his seven-plus seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights.

And, admittedly, the 34-year-old isn’t the swiftest of skaters out on the ice, saying earlier this week that “I’m not winning a ton of races.”

You don’t have to be a speedster to be a winner in the sport of hockey.

And that’s exactly what Stone is.

In the process, the Winnipeg native has shown that when the lights are the brightest, the stage is the biggest, the stakes are the highest, the only captain in the nine-year history of the Golden Knights franchise comes through at the most vital of times.

“I like to think I'm pretty smart out there,” he said. “I see my opportunities, and when I have an opportunity, I got a little bit in there to go.”

Especially when his team needs him the most.

Indeed, history shows that to be the case.

That was never more evident than on June 13, 2023, when he scored a hat trick to lead the Golden Knights to a 9-3 victory against the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. When it was all over, when the final horn had sounded and the confetti had been released from the rafters, it was Stone, grinning from ear to ear, who was handed the Stanley Cup by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman after Vegas had eliminated Florida 4-1 in the best-of-7 series.

Three years later, Stone’s clutch gene has been on display yet again. Thanks in part to that, he and the Golden Knights have punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in four seasons and will play the winner of the Montreal Canadiens-Carolina Hurricanes Eastern Conference Final.

Consider how the captain helped get them there.

Coming off a five-game absence with a lower-body injury, Stone returned to the Golden Knights lineup for Game 3 of the Western Conference Final against the Colorado Avalanche Sunday. Vegas had impressively won the first two games of the series in Denver without him in the lineup but fell behind 3-0 in the first period.

Not quite the return he anticipated.

“We couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start,” he said. “But if you are going to get down by three goals, I guess it’s better that it happened early.”

That certainly was the case in this instance.

And it was Stone (who else?), who ignited the biggest comeback in Golden Knights’ postseason history.

Just 19 seconds into the second period, Stone’s power-play goal narrowed the Avalanche lead to 3-1 and ignited a run of five consecutive goals that resulted in a 5-3 win. It was the first time in the playoffs that the Golden Knights ever won a game in which they’d trailed by three or more goals, having previously gone 0-19 in those situations.

Then, on Tuesday, with the chance to eliminate Colorado in Game 4, it was Stone yet again who set the table for his team, corralling a long flip pass from teammate Brayden McNabb at the Colorado blue line and subsequently opening the scoring at 4:42 of the first period. Vegas would never trail in the game and ended up winning 2-1, completing the surprising sweep of an Avalanche team that had won the Presidents’ Trophy for having the most points in the NHL (121) in the regular season.

Of course, during the ensuing celebration, the Golden Knights were never going to touch the Clarence J. Campbell Bowl which goes to the Western Conference champions.

Because Stone told them not to.

And when the captain talks, this team listens.

“Our ultimate goal is to win the other one,” he said. “We want to win the Stanley Cup. That's the ultimate goal. That's the reason behind that.”

He would know.

Because he’s done it already.

No matter if they meet the Canadiens or Hurricanes, the Golden Knights will have the edge when it comes to having the experience of hoisting the Stanley Cup. All in all, there are 11 current players on the Vegas roster who have their names etched in the trophy from that 2023 championship: Stone, Jack Eichel, William Karlsson, McNabb, Shea Theodore, Brett Howden, Adin Hill, Ivan Barbashev, Keegan Kolesar, Ben Hutton and Reilly Smith.

Among those, it’s Stone’s voice that resonates inside the Vegas dressing room. It’s something coach John Tortorella quickly learned since taking over from the fired Bruce Cassidy on March 29.

“‘Stoney’ is such an important guy,” Tortorella said, adding that “before you even step on the ice, he’s got a presence in the room.

“He’s a pretty good player on the ice too,” he added with a grin.

Especially at this time of the year when it matters the most.

In 123 career postseason games Stone has 95 points (46 goals, 49 assists). His best playoff run came three years ago when he had 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) in 22 games en route to helping the Knights win the Cup.

This spring, he has 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 11 games as he attempts to lead Vegas to another title. Along the way, he’s learned that the grinding path to the Cup features the types of up and downs you have to deal with.

“Winning four rounds is the hardest thing to do in sports,” he said. “I mean, I guess you kind of have to get comfortable in some uncomfortable positions, whether it's being some nerves and things like that.

“But the more you do it, the more comfortable you get.”

For first-year Golden Knights forward Mitch Marner, who never got past the second round in his nine seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the impact of Stone’s words and actions, especially in the postseason, are on full display.

“It's huge,” Marner said. “On the ice, off the ice, just his leadership, you know. The intensity he brings toward a game. Just how good he is when he's out there, just to break up plays, make those little 5-foot plays that you know not a lot of people are really making in this league. It's very impressive. And then from that point on, just finding quiet ice, where he can work his magic as well …

“It's always great to have him in the locker room.”

Add it all up, and Stone can see the ultimate goal of bringing a second Cup championship to Vegas getting closer and closer.

“We still have four more wins that we want to accomplish,” Stone said. “But we’re definitely happy with where we are. We're definitely happy with where we're at. And we've put ourselves in a spot to ultimately compete for it. So I couldn't be happier or more proud of the guys …

“Enjoy it for now and then get back to work.”

Captain Clutch has spoken.