Playing without their captain, the Vegas Golden Knights needed a standout performance from their goaltender to keep their playoff hopes alive. However, Carter Hart couldn’t deliver. The netminder allowed four goals on Sunday, with at least three he would like to have back, as the Knights lost Game 4 of their second-round Stanley Cup Playoff series to the Anaheim Ducks, 4-3.
The series is now tied 2-2 heading back to T-Mobile Arena for Game 5 on Tuesday, turning the matchup into a best-of-three with two games in Las Vegas. A sixth game is scheduled for Thursday at Honda Center.
“I think the biggest part of the game was not being able to get out of the second period 2-2,” Knights coach John Tortorella said. “It gave them some life and then they scored their fourth goal and that was the turning point.”
Earlier in the day, Tortorella revealed that Mark Stone would miss Game 4 due to an apparent lower-body injury sustained in the first period of Game 3 on Friday. Veteran winger Brandon Saad, who last played on April 11 against Colorado, replaced him in the lineup.
“Stoney’s a big part of our team,” Tortorella said. “We miss him as far as his presence and what he does.”
With Stone in the lineup, Vegas posted a 31-17-12 record this season. Without him, the Knights went 8-10-5. His absence was felt Sunday in both 5-on-5 situations and special teams. Whether he returns Tuesday or later in the series remains uncertain, as Tortorella reiterated he won’t discuss injuries.
“It’s always tough losing your captain,” forward Colton Sissons said. “We’re all going to have to step up. That’s what good teams do. But we’ve got a lot of good leaders.”
Saad skated on the third line with Tomas Hertl and Keegan Kolesar, both of whom have struggled in the postseason. Pavel Dorofeyev moved up to the top line alongside Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev.
“I’ve tried to stay ready, physically and mentally,” Saad said after the morning skate Sunday. “It’s never easy. It’s something I haven’t been used to. But the coaches have done a good job of encouraging me, helping me stay ready in case my number got called.”
Saad saw limited ice time in Game 4, recording just 10 shifts and 7:20 of time on ice—the least among Vegas skaters. He hit the crossbar on his lone shot attempt and made a solid backcheck in the second period to deny a close-in chance for Anaheim, but his overall impact was minimal.
Stone’s absence also hurt Vegas’ special teams, as he is a key contributor on both the power play and penalty kill. That meant more power-play time for Hertl, who had not scored a goal since March 4 against Detroit. He finally broke that drought with a goal with 1:04 remaining, cutting the Knights’ deficit to one. He looked to the rafters in relief after scoring.
“Hopefully it releases him a little bit,” Tortorella said. “He’s been close for quite a while and hopefully it’ll help him moving forward.”
The Ducks, playing with renewed energy and physicality, capitalized on their power play twice—Beckett Sennecke in the first period and Alex Killorn in the second. Anaheim had been 0-for-11 on the man advantage in the first three games of the series.