Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone will miss Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinals series against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday with an undisclosed injury.
Veteran winger Brandon Saad will draw into the lineup.
"That's a tough guy to replace," Saad said of Stone.
Stone didn't play after the first period of the Knights' Game 3 win at Anaheim, leaving the game after just seven shifts. He appeared to tweak something in his lower body while chasing down a puck late in the first period. Stone returned to the Vegas bench during the second period but was unable to take another shift in the game. He had earlier assisted on defenseman Shea Theodore's opening goal.
Stone, 33, is considered one of the NHL's top two-way wingers. He had 73 points in 60 games during the regular season, including 28 goals. Stone was a plus-26 and played in all situations for the Golden Knights.
He's been a clutch playoff performer with Vegas, scoring 70 points in 94 postseason games. Stone had two goals and three assists in Vegas's elimination of Utah in the first round and has a goal and an assist in two games against the Ducks.
Saad, in his 15th NHL season, had three goals and nine assists in 49 games this season but has yet to appear in the 2026 postseason. Coach John Tortorella had two veteran forward options in Saad and Reilly Smith ready to draw in for Stone.
"Either one, it's not a bad choice," Tortorella said. "They've both given us good minutes. Saader goes in tonight."
Saad said he's excited for the opportunity, saying this is the first time he's had to deal with being a scratch during the postseason.
"You just want an opportunity to get in and prove yourself," said Saad, who won two Stanley Cups with the Chicago Blackhawks earlier in his career. "Staying in shape and all of that is easy. Getting in the games mentally, when you're not playing the games every day, it's a different energy."