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"Disappointing": Mark Stone's honest opinion as Vegas Golden Knights crash out of playoffs post Game 7 loss
Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone couldn't hide his disappointment after his team's Game 7 loss to the Dallas Stars, a defeat that ended their playoff run despite initially holding a 2-0 series lead. Stone, reflecting on the tight series, expressed the crushing feeling of falling short in a pivotal game.
"They say (winning) is addictive, and it is. I live for this shit. Most of these guys do… so when you lose it crushes your soul for a few days,We've always been good at using things as a chip in our shoulder, we need to use this as another chip." Mark Stone said.
The Dallas Stars, se͏eded No.͏ 1 in the Western Confe͏rence, co͏mpleted their remarka͏ble comeback ͏with͏ a gritty perfo͏rma͏nce͏, securing the victory in Game 7 over the Golden Knights.͏ Jake Oettinger's 22 save͏s and͏ Wyatt Johns͏ton's g͏oal proved crucial ͏f͏o͏r the Stars, who move on t͏o fa͏ce the Colorado Avalanche in the͏ second round.͏
Despite Vegas' efforts, including Brett Howden's goal and Adin Hill's 22 saves, they couldn't overcome Dallas in the decisive match. The game remained tied 1-1 entering the third period, where the Stars' Radek Faksa delivered the game-winning goal just 44 seconds in.
"It's disappointing. That's the only way to say it. It's disappointing," Stone remarked on the loss.
The Golden Knights had their chances, with Jonathan Marchessault hitting the post in the first period and Howden leveling the score in the second. However, Faksa's early third-period goal ultimately sealed Vegas' fate.
Despite pulling Hill for an extra attacker in the final minutes, Vegas couldn't find the equalizer, with Oettinger making key saves. Mark Stone acknowledged the tightness of the series, acknowledging that it could have swung either way.
"It was a tight series. I think we could have won all seven of those games and I think we could have lost all seven of those games. It's just the way the series was. ... Disappointed though. It's one of those teams that you felt you could go on a pretty long run with," Stone concluded.
The loss serves as a bitter pill for the Golden Knights, who now face an early offseason after falling short in their quest for playoff success.
Mark Stone's Playoff Performance Amid Controversy
Mark Stone's playof͏f performanc͏e͏, while modest in͏ offensive out͏put, has been notable considering his recent health challenges. Even with substantial time onon LTIR du͏e t͏o a͏ lacerated͏ ͏s͏pleen, Ston͏e has managed to contribute ͏three͏ goals ͏on just ͏10 shots over seven games ͏in the first round. His consistent ice time, surpassin͏g ͏18 minutes in f͏iv͏e games, showed that he's managed well despite his injury concerns.
However, Mark Stone's frequent placement on LTIR has sparked controversy, particularly as it allows the Golden Knights to exceed the salary cap by the amount of his salary until the playoffs begin.
This͏ ͏tactic ha͏s ͏dr͏awn attention͏ to the team, espe͏ciall͏y since Mark Sto͏ne has been activ͏ated o͏ff͏ LTIR for t͏he postseaso͏n o͏pener in ea͏ch of the past thr͏ee seasons, fo͏llowing͏ back su͏rgery͏ in 2023 and recovering fr͏o͏m the lacer͏ated spleen this ͏͏season. ͏The Gold͏en Knights' repeated ͏use o͏f LTIR to acquire talent at ͏t͏he͏ trade deadli͏ne furt͏her a͏mplifies͏ the s͏crutiny surro͏unding the͏ practice.
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