Blog: Mark Stone’s 2 goals power Golden Knights over Coyotes

By Justin Emerson

Published Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019 | 4:01 p.m.

Updated Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019 | 9:37 p.m.

In the biggest games, you want your top players to be at their best. The Golden Knights gave Mark Stone the biggest contract in franchise history earlier this year, and in the battle for first place in the Pacific Division on Saturday, Stone was the best player on the ice.

Stone scored two goals in the first period, giving the Golden Knights a lead they would never lose in a 4-1 victory over the Arizona Coyotes at T-Mobile Arena.

The win gave Vegas sole possession of first place in the division, breaking a tie with the Coyotes.

Stone opened the scoring on the power play at 9:05, then after Arizona tied on a Michael Grabner tally, returned the lead to Vegas at 15:06. He had done it twice in the playoffs, but it was Stone's first multi-goal regular season game with Vegas.

With a 2-1 lead after a period, Vegas turned on the jets to start the second. Chandler Stephenson scored 12 second into the frame, then Paul Stastny made it 4-1 at the 1:54 mark. The goal was Stastny's 10th of the season, giving the Golden Knights six skaters in double digits. 

The first two periods were exciting before a rather dull third, which is just how the Golden Knights wanted it. There were not many great scoring chances from either side, which allowed Vegas to cruise to victory, its first in regulation against Arizona this season.

The crowd at T-Mobile Arena got quite a scare near the end of the third period. Stone went down awkwardly with his knee underneath him and took awhile getting to his feet. He was able to gingerly skate to the bench and headed straight to the dressing room. But he wasn't there long, and by the time his shift came back around he was back on the ice.

The Golden Knights led in shots on goal for the game 36-28.

Golden Knights pull away from Coyotes in 2nd

If the first period was a pretty even matchup between the top teams in the Pacific Division, the second period was one team showing why it's been in the playoffs the last two seasons.

The Golden Knights scored two quick goals in the frame and extended their lead over the Arizona Coyotes to 4-1.

The Golden Knights were not messing around to start the second period. It began with 10 seconds 4-on-4 hockey thanks to some carry-over penalties, though technically Chandler Stephenson's goal will go down as a power-play goal. He skated around defenseman Alex Goligoski and beat goalie Antti Raanta 12 seconds into the period and two seconds after the Vegas penalty expired.

But Vegas wasn't done. Paul Stastny was next up, going forehand-backhand on Raanta and slid it around him on the forehand to make it 4-1 still seconds shy of the two-minute mark. That chased Raanta from the game, replaced in net by Adin Hill.

Shea Theodore assisted on the two early goals as well as Mark Stone's second goal of the game giving him three assists on the night.

The Golden Knights controlled the period, generating 64% of the shot attempts at 5-on-5 and out-chancing Arizona 12-4 in the second. They led in shots on goal 25-20 for the game after two periods.

Golden Knights grab lead on Coyotes after 1

The first period of Saturday's game was everything you would want it to be when two teams are battling for first place. It was a high-skill, high-energy, high-physicality period and when it settled, the Golden Knights led the Arizona Coyotes 2-1.

The best action of the game started 3:29 into it. First Marc-Andre Fleury got a piece of Conor Garland's breakaway try and Ryan Reaves cleared the puck by whacking it out of the air. It went right to Lawson Crouse, who blasted a follow-up attempt on net and into Fleury. He denied it, but Reaves' stick caught Derek Stepan in the face on the clear attempt, and Reaves sat four minutes for a high-sticking double-minor.

The penalty kill was a thing of beauty. The Golden Knights frustrated the Coyotes for all four minutes by getting sticks in passing lanes and allowing just one shot on goal. Moments after the penalty expired, Tomas Nosek drew a tripping call to send Vegas to the power play.

And that power play was a good one for Vegas. Alex Tuch's initial shot was high and deflected off defenseman Jason Demers, dropping the puck straight to the ice. Mark Stone was there to pick it up, and sent it into the net at 9:05 to make it 1-0 Vegas.

The Coyotes got it back at 13:31 thanks to some gorgeous passing. It was the perfect tic-tac-toe play that a goalie has no chance on, with Garland going to Oliver Ekman-Larsson going to Michael Grabner sitting behind Fleury for the easy finish to even the game.

But it didn't stay even for long. Stone scored again, this time at 15:06, but the star of the play was Max Pacioretty. It was Pacioretty who faked out the Arizona defense, then slid the puck behind him to Stone waiting at the back door. He collected it and put a back-hander into the cage for a 2-1 lead.

The Golden Knights led in shots on goal 13-11 after the first period.

Golden Knights welcome Coyotes, Taylor Hall for Pacific showdown

The two best wingers to have been traded the last two seasons both came from the Eastern Conference to land in the Pacific Division. Last year it was Mark Stone arriving in Vegas, and this year the Arizona Coyotes made the blockbuster move to acquire Taylor Hall.

Hall won the MVP two seasons ago, and Arizona's deal to get him solidified the Coyotes as one of the favorites in the division. That trade was two weeks ago, and the Coyotes are bringing Hall to T-Mobile Arena for the first time at 7 p.m. in a showdown of the top teams in the division.

"It's a huge four-point game for somebody and we've got to make sure we're ready to play," coach Gerard Gallant said. "They're a good team this year and it's a first-place game."

For years, the Coyotes have been one of the best defensive teams in the league. They play well in their own end and have arguably the best goaltending tandem in the NHL, but have struggled to score. They traded for Phil Kessel in the offseason, but needed more firepower. That brought them Hall, who has a goal and three points in four games in Arizona.

"He's one of the best players in the league," Stone said. "They do a great job limiting chances and we're going to have to fight for every inch."

Vegas will miss one of the Vezina front-runners in Darcy Kuemper who is out with an injury sustained before Christmas. The issue is that the Coyotes still have another terrific goalie. They will run out Antti Raanta, whose numbers as a second goalie are better than a lot of teams' starters with a .921 save percentage.

The Golden Knights dropped their first game back from the break, a 4-3 loss last night in Anaheim. They're hoping that tonight's matchup helps get them on track, and it's against one of the team's they'll be fighting with the rest of the year. The Coyotes and Golden Knights are tied atop the Pacific with 46 points, though the Coyotes hold the points-percentage tiebreaker. Tonight's winner will stand alone in what could be a season-long jockeying for position.

"They're first in the Pacific for a reason. They've been doing well, they work hard and they're relentless," forward Jonathan Marchessault said. "They play a fast game and honestly it's going to be a good test for us."

TV: AT&T Sports Net (DirecTV 684, Cox 1313, CenturyLink 1760)

Radio: Fox Sports 1340 AM and 98.9 FM

Betting line: Golden Knights minus-140, Coyotes plus-120; over/under: 5.5 (minus-110, minus-110)

Golden Knights (20-15-6, 46 points) (10-7-3 home), second place, Pacific Division

Coach: Gerard Gallant (third season)

Points leader: Max Pacioretty (38)

Goals leader: Max Pacioretty (16)

Assists leader: Mark Stone (24)

Expected goalie: Marc-Andre Fleury (2.81 GAA, .910 save percentage)

Coyotes (21-14-4, 46 points) (13-5-3 road), first place, Pacific Division

Coach: Rick Tocchet (third season)

Points leader: Nick Schmaltz (30)

Goals leader: Conor Garland (12)

Assists leader: Nick Schmaltz (24)

Expected goalie: Antti Raanta (2.70 GAA, .921 save percentage)

Golden Knights projected lineup

Forwards

Jonathan Marchessault—William Karlsson—Reilly Smith

Max Pacioretty—Chandler Stephenson—Mark Stone

Alex Tuch—Paul Stastny—Cody Glass

William Carrier—Tomas Nosek—Ryan Reaves

Defensemen

Brayden McNabb—Nate Schmidt

Jon Merrill—Shea Theodore

Nick Holden—Deryk Engelland

Goalies

Marc-Andre Fleury, Malcolm Subban