When the Vegas Golden Knights learned that their captain would be available for Game 3 against the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday, his first game in 16 days, it seemed like it would be an automatic boost for a team that already held a 2-0 series lead.
But when Vegas fell behind 3-0 in Game 3 on home ice, it briefly felt like the return of former Ottawa Senator Mark Stone hadn’t changed much.
Advertisement
But that feeling didn’t last long.
Five unanswered goals later, with Stone right in the middle of it all, the Golden Knights skated away with a 5-3 victory and now, quite shockingly, hold a 3-0 lead in the NHL Western Final.
“Obviously it wasn’t a good start,” Stone told the media after his first game since May 8. “We knew they were coming; they’re down 0-2 in the series. So they knew that that was gonna be probably their best period of the season. And we just didn’t find it, I guess. We still had some looks, but we just couldn’t get out of our own way almost.”
Stone said the key for Vegas was simply to keep playing their game after the rough opening period. Interestingly, that was the same message Travis Green tried to hammer home to Stone’s old team in Ottawa for the entire season.
Advertisement
“You start turning it into a track meeting against (Colorado), they’re just gonna make it 4, 5, or 6 to 1. I thought we did a really good job at getting back to just playing our game and not getting away from what was successful in the first two.”
Captain stuff.
Stone was also asked how he felt physically after missing more than two weeks with an injury.
“Yeah, just rehabbing in the last couple weeks and trying to push back,” Stone said. “It makes it a lot easier when the team’s playing the way they’re playing. So yeah, I was inching closer. I tried to buy a little bit more time and felt like yesterday, there was no reason to not jump back in there. So tonight felt great.”
Advertisement
There certainly weren’t any signs of rust or injury.
With Vegas trailing 3-0, Stone kickstarted the comeback with a power-play goal. Later, he helped set up Tomas Hertl for the game-winner as the Knights completely flipped the momentum of both the game and the series.
Vegas head coach John Tortorella was asked about the return of his captain and what he means to the team.
“Stoney’s such an important guy,” Tortorella said. “And I’ve said it to you guys. And before you even step on the ice, just to have the presence in the room. And he’s a pretty good player, right? On the ice. So I’m not sure, I think he got 15 or 16 minutes. He scores a huge goal on a pretty goal on the power play to get us, at least back in the game.
Advertisement
“But he put in some big minutes, put in some big minutes towards the end of the third period too for us at key times.”
For Senators fans, though he was traded away seven years ago now, it was another reminder of exactly what made Stone such a special player in Ottawa. Even after over two weeks on the shelf, he just stepped back into the lineup and immediately changed the tone as he so often did here.
With the Avalanche down 0-3 and dealing with superstar injuries, they already have two big strikes against them. But Vegas getting their captain back on Sunday may be strike three.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News
Report: Red Wings Expected To Move On From Three Former Senators
Senators Weekend Roundup At The IIHF World Hockey Championships
Jason York Would Love To See Senators Target Pending UFA Viktor Arvidsson
Will Carter Yakemchuk Make The Senators Out Of Camp Next Season?
Senators 2020 Draft Pick Back On NHL Prospect Radar After 50-Point Season
Read the full article here
