DALLAS — Less than a year away from winning the Stanley Cup, Sunday’s Game 7 loss to the Dallas Stars didn’t hurt Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone any less.
“People say (winning) is addictive, and it is,” Stone said after the 2-1 loss that ended Vegas’ title defense. “I live for this shit. I think most of us do. As a hockey player, this is the most fun you can have while playing hockey. You want to compete for the Stanley Cup, so when you lose and get eliminated, it’s tough. It kind of crushes your soul for a few days.
Stone’s emotions were on display as he discussed the game and series that got away from Vegas after winning Games 1 and 2 on the road. He was proud of his teammates for the entire season and the way they fought on Sunday. With a matchup of Western Conference heavyweights in the first round, the difference between advancing to the second round and returning home for the summer came down to just a game or two.
“It’s disappointing,” Stone said. “That’s really the only way to put it. … Once you’re up 2-0, I guess if we regret one thing, we wish we had a home game there. But at the end of the day, we gave ourselves a chance to win in Game 7 against a very good hockey team, and we didn’t do it.
Vegas played well against the top-seeded Stars. A goalie was pulled to replace an extra attacker at the end of the seven games, showing how closely contested the series was. In the end, both teams scored 16 goals, but on Sunday night the Stars got one more from fourth-line forward Radek Faksa, and that was the difference.
RADEK IS BACK AND WE’RE BACK IN FRONT! pic.twitter.com/tTPQPuh7FC
– z – Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) May 6, 2024
The Golden Knights have never found their best equipment in the playoffs. Many of their best offensive players were left off the scoresheet, and others contributed at times but didn’t look for long periods.
Does that make this early exit more disappointing, or is it encouraging that they took one of the best teams in the NHL to the brink without their best players?
“I think we had some spurts throughout the series, but I don’t think we really got to the level we wanted to,” said defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, who had just one assist. in the series.
For the third straight year, the Golden Knights were decimated by injuries during the regular season. Nine different players underwent surgery, including key players who had only just returned for the playoffs. Stone suffered a lacerated spleen. Tomas Hertl is returning from knee surgery that forced him out for most of the season. Pietrangelo had his appendix removed just days before the playoffs.
For long stretches of the series, the Golden Knights looked like a group of players exhausted from several deep playoff runs, coming off injuries and still looking for chemistry at the wrong time of year.
“I give our guys a lot of credit,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “They played through a lot of injuries and tried to find chemistry with guys in and out (of the lineup). I think it ended up taking its toll. Some of these surgeries obviously correct a problem, but it takes a while to get back up to speed, and I think that would be the unfortunate part.
Vegas is a deep and talented team, as is Dallas. The Stars never dominated, but they played more often than the Golden Knights, and one of the main reasons is probably that they were more in sync after months of playing together. Meanwhile, Cassidy was gathering lines of players who had never stepped on the ice together, hoping to find a combination that would work.
“It defines your game,” Cassidy said. “If we could have built a little better in March and April, then maybe it would be a little smoother in the playoff round, but that’s the hand you’re dealt. It’s up to me to find the chemistry, quickly. Sometimes it looked good. Sometimes we had to generate more. I am very proud of the group.
Stone and Hertl both scored big power play goals in this series. With the game slowed down and space to operate, they showed off the high-end offensive skills they possess, but at even strength, neither looked like each other. With Stone on the ice at five-on-five, Vegas was outscored 4-0. With Hertl it was 5-0.
“It’s tough,” Stone said. “There were four or five guys trying to create chemistry, and it’s a little more difficult. I think a lot of us would have liked to produce a little more, but it’s a tight show.
“I was healthy enough to play, so I don’t make any excuses. I felt good. I did the exact same thing last year, and it’s not the easiest thing in the world, but at the end of the day, if you want to go there, you have to produce and help your team win games .
William Karlsson was also playing through a lower body injury that kept him out for most of the playoffs, outside of games. He was limited to faceoffs due to his injury, and Cassidy said they gave him as many minutes as he could handle, but he clearly wasn’t himself either.
In addition to the injuries themselves, the number of players out of the lineup ultimately impacted Vegas’ overall play. Teams constantly preach that they need to find their game before the playoffs, and the Golden Knights have never done that. Their inconsistencies in the regular season also led to a much tougher first-round matchup than usual.
“We probably would have been better served by putting ourselves in a better position in the regular season,” Stone said. “It’s never easy coming in as an eight seed and trying to beat all the top teams right off the bat. If you look at last year, we got the top seed and we were able to win in five (games) and then win in six (games).
While the Golden Knights escaped the first round, they may have found their rhythm, but they didn’t have the luxury of time. They went head-to-head against a deep Stars team with veteran experience and young offensive stars. It’s not like the Golden Knights are going out of the playoffs with a whimper. Despite everything they endured, they gave one of the best teams in the NHL everything they could and fell just one goal short.
🤝 @DallasStars pic.twitter.com/pEnBl3bXyV
– Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) May 6, 2024
The question is: where do they go from here? It’s one thing to dismiss a lot of injury issues, but it’s something that has plagued this roster on a regular basis. Vegas led the NHL in total hits lost to injuries this season and finished in the top five in that stat for three straight seasons. One of the team’s greatest strengths is its wealth of experience, but it’s also an aging team and that doesn’t change.
Stone has missed significant time for three straight years and turns 32 later this month. Hertl should be better after a full summer to recover, but as with any injury, it’s not a given. Several of Vegas’ most important players are over 30, including Pietrangelo, 34, who carries a heavy load on the blue line.
It’s fair to wonder if the Golden Knights can survive an 82-game regular season with enough players intact to hit the ground running when the playoffs arrive. Last season they were remarkably healthy throughout the Cup, so they proved it was possible.
“I have no doubt in my mind that we will be back here in 12 months preparing,” Stone said. “We’re obviously going to take some time to think about it, but the work begins. We have a dedicated group of guys. Last year was the most fun we’ve ever had playing hockey. We want to go back.
The reality is that next year’s team will be very different. After last summer’s Cup run, Vegas brought back essentially the same roster, but now faces an offseason with six players set to hit unrestricted free agency.
Notably, the team’s leading scorer, Jonathan Marchessault, is without a contract. Not only was he the most consistent offensive producer, playing in all 82 games, but his fiery and exuberant personality is ingrained into the fabric of the organization. Losing him would hurt in more ways than one, and he’s not the only player who needs a contract.
Chandler Stephenson, William Carrier, Michael Amadio, Anthony Mantha and Alec Martinez are all pending unrestricted free agents. Vegas has already committed about $81.8 million in salary to next year’s team, not including the $5 million cap hit for Robin Lehner, who has been on long-term injured reserve for two years.
That leaves very little room to add, so some key players on this roster won’t return. Whether that’s from the list of UFAs above or the players traded to free up space to sign them remains to be determined. There are difficult choices to make.
“We probably won’t be able to bring everyone back,” Stone said. “It’s just the nature of hockey. It kind of brings tears to your eyes when you realize you’re not going to be with the same group of guys because you’re building these bonds and these friendships and then you have to see your teammates and friends go. Man, I really thought we could have done some damage in the future.
The Golden Knights remain an excellent hockey team. They showed it in the playoffs, even in defeat. They failed against an elite team, even though they weren’t at their best. Still, there are some questions about what their best will look like going forward, another year later in this championship window.
We’ll view this hard-fought series as either a blip on the radar or the beginning of the decline of a talented but aging team.
Stone and his teammates are confident and they have plenty of reasons to be.
“I guess for our organization it adds fuel to the fire,” Stone said. “We will be ready for September to be ready to come back here next season. … We’ve always known we have a chip on our shoulder, so we have to use it as another chip.
(Photo by Mark Stone: Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)