Mark Stone Ruled Out For Game 4
The Vegas Golden Knights will be without their captain tonight in Game 4 against Anaheim, as Mark Stone won’t play, to be replaced by Brandon Saad, noted by Jesse Granger of The Athletic.
Stone Exited Friday's Game With Perceived Lower-Body Injury
While the Golden Knights regained the lead in their series against Anaheim on Friday night, it wasn’t all good news. Steve Carp of The Sporting Tribune mentioned that captain Mark Stone exited with an apparent lower-body injury on a non-contact play in the first period and didn’t return, ending his night with just 4:24 of playing time. The 33-year-old quietly set a career high in points per game this season, checking in at a 1.22 mark in 60 appearances. He hasn’t been quite as productive in the playoffs but he still has three goals and four helpers in nine games so far. Head coach John Tortorella didn’t have any further updates following the game and it wouldn’t be surprising if more information isn’t available until Sunday’s Game 4.
Golden Knights’ Jeremy Lauzon Out With Injury
The Vegas Golden Knights will be down a defenseman in their second round matchup against the Anaheim Ducks. Jeremy Lauzon will be out of the lineup after taking a shot to the head in the third period of Friday night’s win, head coach John Tortorella told Sin Bin Vegas. Lauzon is rumored to be out for the remainder of the series, adds Sin Bin Vegas, though Tortorella refused to comment on his timeline further. Lauzon left under his own power after a wrist-shot from Pavel Dorofeyev hit him in the side of the head.
Lauzon has filled an important depth role through the start of Vegas’ playoff run. He managed no scoring and averaged 16:33 in ice time in the six-game series against Utah but stepped up to 19 and 20 minutes of ice time in Vegas’ overtime wins in Game 4 and 5.
Physical defense continues to headline Lauzon’s role in the lineup. He reached 13 points and 89 penalty minutes through 68 games this season. Those marks put him were a career-high pace across 82 games, just narrowly beating out the 14 points and 98 penalty minutes he recorded in 79 games of the 2023-24 season. Lauzon’s 251 hits were also the second-highest of his career, behind the 386 hits he recorded in 2023-24.
This is Lauzon’s first chance to join the recent Stanley Cup-winning Golden Knights. He spent the last three seasons with the Nashville Predators, who he joined on postseason runs in 2022 and 2024. Between two series with the Predators, Lauzon racked up one assist, six penalty minutes, and 32 hits.
William Karlsson To Return To Golden Knights’ Lineup
Vegas Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella revealed today that veteran center William Karlsson will return to the team’s lineup tonight for game one against the Anaheim Ducks.
Karlsson has been sidelined since early November with a lower-body injury. The 33-year-old was limited, as a result, to just 14 games played this year, scoring seven points. Karlsson is one of the original Golden Knights, a selection by the team in its 2017 Expansion Draft. He has been a steady presence down the middle for the club on all of its many deep playoff runs, including when he scored 17 points in 22 playoff games en route to a Stanley Cup championship in 2023.
Once the Golden Knights’ No. 1 center, Karlsson is no longer at that stage of his career. Not only has he declined from his peak – his total of 29 points last season was well below his career standards – but the Golden Knights have added significant talent at the position in recent years.
Superstar Jack Eichel is firmly entrenched as the team’s top pivot, and Tomas Hertl has been a strong No. 2 center throughout his career. Tortorella has most recently played Mitch Marner, who has largely been a winger throughout his NHL career, down the middle.
With Karlsson returning to the lineup, Tortorella now has some options as to how he could adjust his lineup. Tortorella may not want to make dramatic changes to a lineup that worked quite well in the first round against the Utah Mammoth, which could mean Marner sticks at center so the second line can remain intact. Karlsson could find a landing spot on the third line with Hertl, though that would mean one natural center is forced to the wing.
In any case, Karlsson’s return at this point is somewhat surprising – it was originally believed that it would take a very deep playoff run for Golden Knights fans to see him hit the ice again in 2025-26. But he’s set to return at the start of the second round, a real boost for Vegas, especially within a forward lineup already bursting at the seams with depth.
Golden Knights Recall Dylan Coghlan
The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled defenseman Dylan Coghlan from their AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights.
According to Jesse Granger of The Athletic, Jeremy Lauzon was not at Golden Knights practice today. There is no word as to Lauzon’s status but Coghlan’s recall reinforces the team’s defensive depth in case Lauzon, or any other defenseman, is unavailable. The Golden Knights begin their second-round series against the Anaheim Ducks tomorrow.
Coghlan, 28, is a 6’2″ right-shot defenseman who brings over 100 games of NHL experience. The bulk of that experience came in his first stint with the Golden Knights organization, which began in 2018 and ended in 2022.
For the last few years, Coghlan has been a high-end, productive AHL defenseman offering some utility as a short-term call-up. His recall, in the moment, hurts Henderson’s defense. They could be without one of their top contributors for the second game of their series against the Colorado Eagles, which is tomorrow as well.
In exchange for that, he provides additional depth to the Golden Knights as they are set to chase another trip to the Conference Finals. That kind of tradeoff – where an AHL team loses a key player to support the depth of their NHL affiliate – is one most AHL clubs are prepared to make. It’s just part of the cost of doing business as a minor-league team. But it could nonetheless have an impact on Henderson’s playoff run, as the team could be pushed to the brink of elimination with a loss tomorrow.
In any case, the Golden Knights’ recall of Coghlan adds to Vegas’ roster depth, but he may not be the team’s first option in case Lauzon isn’t able to play. In that case, it’s likely veteran left-shot blueliner Ben Hutton would take Lauzon’s spot on the left side of the team’s third pairing.
Latest On William Karlsson
- Injured Vegas Golden Knights center William Karlsson hit the ice in a standard jersey for the team’s practice today, but that should not be viewed as a sign that his return is imminent. Per Sin Bin Vegas, head coach John Tortorella said that Karlsson’s inclusion was more about getting him around the team as he rehabs than anything else. Karlsson was limited to playing in just 14 games during the regular season as a result of his injury, which is of the lower-body variety. GM Kelly McCrimmon has already indicated that Karlsson is unlikely to return this year unless the Golden Knights have a deep run in the playoffs.
Golden Knights Prospect Brabenec Considering Return To Czechia
Czech Extraliga club HC Kometa Brno are currently negotiating the potential signing of two NHL prospects for next season: the Columbus Blue Jackets’ Stanislav Svozil and the Vegas Golden Knights’ Jakub Brabenec, according to a team release. Both Brabenec and Svozil are prospects who did not appear in the NHL this past season and are pending RFAs.
Brabenec, 22, was a fourth-round pick of the Golden Knights at the 2021 draft. 2025-26 was the most productive of his three AHL campaigns, as he scored 12 goals and 31 points in 62 games. He entered the season ranked as the No. 17 prospect in the Vegas system, per Elite Prospects. Svozil, 23, was a third-round pick of the Blue Jackets at the 2021 draft. He entered the season ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the Columbus system according to Elite Prospects. Considered a well-rounded potential NHL third-pairing defenseman, Svozil endured a difficult 2025-26 that saw his role with AHL Cleveland cut down significantly.
Golden Knights Reassign Braeden Bowman, Trevor Connelly
The Vegas Golden Knights are giving their AHL affiliate some reinforcements for the Calder Cup playoffs. According to a team announcement, the Golden Knights have reassigned forwards Braeden Bowman and Trevor Connelly to the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights.
Never believed to be a top prospect in Vegas’ pipeline, Bowman joined the organization ahead of last season as an OHL free agent. He performed quite well during his rookie season, scoring 14 goals and accumulating 36 points in 68 games with a -5 rating, while exclusively playing with AHL Henderson.
After a tremendous start with the Silver Knights and due to some injury concerns at the NHL level, Bowman was able to debut with the Golden Knights this season. He spent much of the year in Vegas, scoring eight goals and 26 points in 54 games with a -16 rating.
Although his production was well above-average for a young undrafted free agent, it’s important to remember that Bowman was relatively sheltered throughout his rookie campaign. Much of his time with Vegas was spent on a line with Jack Eichel, and he began more than 60% of his shifts in the offensive zone.
Meanwhile, unlike Bowman, Connelly is a very recognizable prospect in the Golden Knights system. Being the only first-round pick that the team has retained (up to this point), Connelly is arguably the top prospect in the Golden Knights organization by a country mile.
The 20-year-old spent the entire season with AHL Henderson and was only recently recalled to serve as injury depth for the postseason. Connelly had a more than respectable rookie season, scoring 14 goals and 49 points in 46 games with a +2 rating.
Both Bowman and Connelly have played for the Silver Knights so far this postseason, playing integral roles in their series sweep over the San Jose Barracuda. Since they weren’t being used in the Stanley Cup playoffs, the pair of forwards will now help AHL Henderson take on the Colorado Eagles in the Division Semifinal.
Latest On William Karlsson
- Golden Knights forward William Karlsson practiced today, observed by SinBin.vegas, donning a red no-contact jersey. The center hasn’t played since November as a result of a lower-body injury, and it is thought that his Golden Knights must advance at least to the second round for any chance at a return. His high scoring “Wild Bill” days largely in the past, Karlsson was still productive in his just 14 games this season, posting four goals and seven points. Currently operating with Tomáš Hertl at third line center, Vegas has fared well without their original misfit, whose team has changed greatly since his last time on the ice, primarily with John Tortorella now behind the bench. Now, down in the series to the electric Utah Mammoth, there’s work to be done for the 33-year-old to add to his impressive 111 career playoff games (74 points), all but five of which games as a Golden Knight.
Golden Knights Recall Braeden Bowman, Trevor Connelly
The Golden Knights announced Sunday that they’ve recalled forward prospects Braeden Bowman and Trevor Connelly from AHL Henderson. Both will likely be available for Monday’s Game 4 against the Mammoth if necessary, but they’re likely just getting a few days of playoff practice with the big club before returning to Henderson for its Pacific Division Semifinal series against Colorado, which doesn’t begin until Friday.
Bowman, 22, has quickly become a great story for the Knights. Undrafted, he had to settle for a minor-league deal with Henderson in 2024 when his junior career ended.
The 6’1″, 205-lb right hit the ground running, finishing second on the Silver Knights in scoring last season with 36 points in 68 games en route to quickly earning an entry-level contract. He more than doubled his AHL points per game rate here in 2025-26 and actually spent most of the campaign on the NHL roster in a decently high-leverage role.
Recalled for the first time in November, Bowman spent a good chunk of the year as a top-line injury fill-in for captain Mark Stone. He was reasonably productive, churning out an 8-18–26 scoring line in 54 outings while averaging a shade over 14 minutes per game, seeing some power-play reps in the process. Bowman’s defensive impacts, though, left much to be desired. He finished with a -16 rating, only controlled 49.6% of shot attempts at 5-on-5 despite starting nearly 60% of his shifts in the offensive zone, and barely throws the body given his stocky frame (he had just 19 hits).
All that contributed to Bowman being left on the outside of the playoff lineup, especially after the Knights moved to add Nic Dowd and Cole Smith at the trade deadline. After a four-game pointless stretch in March, Bowman was scratched on several occasions before eventually being returned to Henderson at the beginning of April.
Bowman finished the AHL regular season on an absolute tear with 14 points in eight games. He also had a goal and an assist in two games as Henderson made quick work of San Jose in a three-game first-round series. If he is plugged into the lineup, he’ll be doing so with plenty of offensive confidence.
As for Connelly, Vegas’ 2024 first-round pick has yet to make his NHL debut. Still viewed as their clear-cut #1 prospect, he made an exceptional transition to pro hockey this year after an underwhelming and injury-plagued one-and-done freshman season at Providence College.
Connelly didn’t play a full season this year, either, only suiting up in 46 out of a possible 72 AHL games. He nonetheless was one of four Silver Knights to exceed the point per game mark in an offensively surging season for the oft-struggling affiliate. He ended up with a 14-35–49 scoring line and had five points in their two-game series in over San Jose last week.
If Connelly dresses, he would be the first player in Golden Knights history to make their NHL debut in the postseason.