Amid boos, Stone leads Knights to win in return
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Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporter
DALLAS — Any questions about how Mark Stone would handle his first game in three months were quickly answered Monday night in the Vegas Golden Knights‘ 4-3 win over the Dallas Stars in Game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinals.
How much time did Stone need before finding the type of comfort that allowed him to carve his place in an opening-round playoff game?
Try less than 90 seconds.
Stars forward Sam Steel was given a two-minute minor for high-sticking just 26 seconds into the first period. That created an opportunity for the Golden Knights power-play unit, which parlayed the Stars’ misfortune into a goal scored by Stone.
Within a matter of seconds, Golden Knights center Jack Eichel won a faceoff with the puck going back to Noah Hanifin at the point. Hanifin quickly threw the puck on net with Stone, who was at the net front, getting his stick on the puck for a 1-0 lead with 18:37 remaining in the first period.
“I was nervous. I think I’d probably be a little nervous if I played in all 82 games, right? It’s the playoffs,” Stone said. “This is what you play for, and once the game gets going, you realize why you play and why it’s so much fun to be out there.”
Stone’s opening goal was only the start to a night that saw him get booed at every moment. The context for why Stone — who had been out of the lineup since Feb. 20 due to a lacerated spleen — was perpetually booed goes back to his injury and what the Golden Knights did to compensate for his absence.
Stone’s lacerated spleen was the latest setback in what had been three injury-plagued seasons. He experienced back issues in 2021-22 then had surgery prior to the start of the 2022-23 season. He required another back surgery during that campaign, and it led to him being moved to long-term injured reserve.
Sending Stone and his $9.5 million cap hit to LTIR provided the Golden Knights the added flexibility to acquire Ivan Barbashev and Teddy Blueger at last year’s trade deadline, reinforcing a roster that then got Stone back for the playoffs.
Because there are no salary cap restrictions in the playoffs, the Golden Knights were able to add Stone to their active roster without a corresponding financial move.
Fast forward to this season: Moving Stone to LTIR created the space for the Golden Knights to acquire Anthony Mantha, Tomas Hertl and Hanifin at the trade deadline, with the idea that Stone could return at some point in the playoffs.
His return Monday was accompanied by a chorus of boos every time Stone touched the puck inside sold-out American Airlines Center. The need to boo Stone was so strong that he was booed while doing an intermission interview with ESPN after the first period.
Golden Knights forward and reigning Calder Trophy winner Jonathan Marchessault cracked a smile when asked about Stone’s performance amid the boos.
“I loved it,” Marchessault said. “I wouldn’t be more happy for any guy than him. He’s been going through a lot of adversity in the last few years, and the fact he comes back and he gets big goals like that, it’s unbelievable to have a guy like that on your team and especially as your leader.”
“I was nervous. I think I’d probably be a little nervous if I played in all 82 games, right? It’s the playoffs. This is what you play for, and once the game gets going, you realize why you play and why it’s so much fun to be out there.”
Mark Stone
Marchessault scored more than six minutes later to give the Golden Knights a 2-0 lead before Stars captain Jamie Benn cut the deficit to 2-1 with less than four minutes remaining in the first.
The Golden Knights responded less than two minutes later when Hertl scored a power play goal on an assist from Hanifin — both of whom will be forever linked to Stone.
Dallas would score to cut the lead to 3-2 late in the first, with Vegas pushing it to 4-2 off a Brayden McNabb goal a little more than a minute into the second period.
Being in a two-goal hole forced the Stars to become more aggressive in the offensive zone. Natural Stat Trick’s metrics revealed that the Stars’ shot-share was 57% between the second and third periods in 5-on-5 play.
Even with possession and the fact they doubled the Golden Knights in shots, the Stars struggled to score before Mason Marchment‘s long-distance offering slipped past Logan Thompson with 11:46 left in the third.
It took what was a stale American Airlines Center and turned it into an actively engaged atmosphere that was invested in whatever the Stars were doing to get a game-tying goal.
Attempting to get that score proved to be a challenge for several reasons.
Among those reasons? Stone.
Even with the goal he scored, his efforts in the defensive zone proved just as crucial. Stone, who finished with more than 17 minutes in ice time, logged three shifts over the final eight minutes to help the Golden Knights close out Game 1.
“LT wants that goal back, but he bailed us out in the second period and really calmed the game for us,” Stone said of Thompson. “I think that last five minutes, yeah, they’re throwing pucks at the net. But he’s able to calm the game, get some good covers for us.
“I thought our defense and our goaltending along with our centermen and our wingers as a five-, six-man unit did a good job of calming the game down and getting us to the finish line.”
CINCINNATI — Austin Hays‘ single with the bases loaded in the 10th inning gave the Cincinnati Reds a 3-2 victory over Milwaukee on Sunday, ending the Brewers’ franchise-record winning streak at 14 games.
Milwaukee had barely pulled out the previous two games in Cincinnati for its longest streak ever within one season and the longest in the majors since the St. Louis Cardinals won 17 straight from Sept. 11-28, 2021.
This time, Spencer Steer‘s sacrifice bunt in the 10th advanced designated runner TJ Friedl to third. After intentional walks to Elly De La Cruz and Will Benson loaded the bases, Hays laced a single down the third-base line for his second career walk-off hit.
Milwaukee, which overcame a seven-run deficit on Friday, rallied to win in 14 innings Saturday and have eight come-from-behind wins over its 14-game win streak, nearly came back again.
William Contreras hit his 13th home run of the season, a two-run shot off Reds closer Emilio Pagan, to put Milwaukee ahead 2-1 in the ninth. But the Reds tied it when Benson reached on a fielding error by shortstop Joey Ortiz and later scored on Jose Trevino’s single.
The first-place Brewers are 53-17 in their past 70 games. The loss accounted for just their 14th blown save this season, third fewest in MLB, according to ESPN Research.
The game was scoreless through six innings with Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott and Brewers lefty Jose Quintana allowing a combined six hits with 11 strikeouts.
Cincinnati scored the game’s first run when Hays led off the seventh with a double and scored on Trevino’s sacrifice fly to the wall in center.
Graham Ashcraft (7-4) earned the win for Cincinnati. Grant Anderson (2-4) took the loss.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
BOSTON — Marlins right fielder Dane Myers felt like a fan at Fenway Park was heckling him beyond what was appropriate, verbal abuse that began before he hit a tying homer in the ninth inning to help Miami rally past the Boston Red Sox on Sunday.
Myers said the heckling began in the eighth when the Red Sox led 3-2 and continued in the ninth after he homered and rookie Jakob Marsee followed with a two-run shot to put the Marlins on top.
“Maybe so,” he said when asked if the fan said something inappropriate. “I don’t really want to get into that. Probably drinking some beers out there, having a good time. It’s a baseball game. I won’t get into necessarily what I heard exactly. It’s part of the game. I think I need to be a pro and probably handle it just a little bit better.”
Myers said he yelled back at the fan in the ninth before security workers intervened. After the fan was removed, Miami wrapped up its 5-3 victory.
“I basically said: ‘Would you be saying this if you were on the field right in my face?'” Myers said. “That was basically the one guy that kind of got the whole section going.”
Myers credited security workers with handling the situation.
“Yeah, they probably had that happen before. They kind of were on it right away,” he said. “Kudos for them kind of stepping in. I wouldn’t ever go into the stands or do anything like that. Just kind of letting them know I’m a person, too. I’m a human, too, so I want some respect as well.”
When asked if the Red Sox approached him and asked what was said — with the possibility of banning the fan for a longer period — he said he wasn’t sure if he would provide details.
“It’s hard to tell. Like I said, they’re fans. They have the right to cheer and to jeer as well. I won’t necessarily … get into what was exactly said,” Myers said.
In the fourth inning, Myers went back on Wilyer Abreu‘s two-run homer and turned like he was going to make an over-the-shoulder grab, but when he crashed into the wall, the ball popped out of his glove and over the fence.
“I don’t know if that ball’s getting over or not, but to kind of have it in my glove then go over and cost two runs kind of hurt,” he said. “I got the chance to make up for it and glad I was able to.”
WASHINGTON — Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola‘s first start after returning from the injured list didn’t last long.
The right-hander allowed six runs in 2⅓ innings Sunday against the Washington Nationals, a start that ended when seven consecutive batters reached safely.
Nola struck out four in his first major league outing since May 14.
The former All-Star was one of the majors’ most durable pitchers entering the season, making at least 32 starts and throwing at least 180⅔ innings in each of the last six full seasons. But a sprained right ankle and fractured rib cost him three months this season.
His return became even more significant Saturday when Philadelphia placed ace Zack Wheeler on the injured list with a blood clot in his right arm. Nola already was scheduled to start after making three minor league rehabilitation appearances, though the Phillies scrapped their plans to use a six-man rotation.
Nola gave up Luis Garcia Jr.’s leadoff single in the first inning, then appeared to settle in. He retired the next seven batters as Philadelphia built a 6-0 lead.
The Nationals stitched together three consecutive singles in the third, the last by CJ Abrams to score a run. That led to a mound visit from pitching coach Caleb Cotham, but Nola then walked Paul DeJong before giving up Daylen Lile‘s two-run single and Dylan Crews‘ two-run double. Jose Tena followed with a tying double to end Nola’s day.
Nola allowed seven hits while throwing 53 pitches. His ERA rose to 6.92.
In addition to Nola taking Wheeler’s roster spot, the Phillies activated third baseman Alec Bohm from the injured list and optioned infielder Otto Kemp to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. To make room on the 40-man roster for Nola, Philadelphia released outfielder Cal Stevenson.
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