LAS VEGAS — Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone returned to practice Monday for the first time since back surgery Jan. 31 forced him out of the lineup.
The veteran forward was in a blue non-contact jersey, and coach Bruce Cassidy said Stone’s return to game action was still unknown.
“This is his next phase of returning to playing and recovery and integrating with the team,” Cassidy said. “We’ll see how he responds to it [Tuesday]. It’s just good to have him around.”
Stone was injured Jan. 12 against the Florida Panthers, and at the time, he was second on the team with 17 goals and 38 points.
This was the second time in less than a year that Stone underwent back surgery. He also had a procedure May 19, 2022.
Jack Eichel, who shares the team lead with 27 goals and leads the Knights with 65 points, will miss his second straight game with a lower-body injury when Vegas hosts the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night.
Zach Whitecloud will also miss the game after suffering a lower-body injury Saturday at Dallas. Cassidy said he didn’t believe Whitecloud would be out for an extended amount of time, but would know more following a doctor’s visit Monday afternoon.
The Knights, who have two games remaining, lead the Pacific Division and the Western Conference with 107 points. The Edmonton Oilers, however, sit just two points back in the Pacific and owns the tiebreaker. The Colorado Avalanche, which is in first place in the Central Division, is three points behind Vegas.
Cassidy, in his first season with the club, has engineered a turnaround season after the Knights failed to make the postseason last year for the first time in franchise history.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: www.espn.com