DALLAS — Entering Monday night’s playoff opener, Vegas Golden Knights forwards Mark Stone and Tomas Hertl had never played a shift together.
Vegas acquired Hertl at the trade deadline in March after Stone suffered a lacerated spleen in late February. Playing together for the first time, on the road in the playoffs isn’t ideal, but it didn’t take them long to find chemistry.
Stone scored on his first shift of the game, tipping Noah Hanifin’s shot from the point past Dallas Stars goalie Jake Oettinger to give Vegas an early lead. Screening Oettinger in front of the net, was Hertl.
Hertl added a goal of his own later in the period, and the Golden Knights held on for a 4-3 win, becoming the only road team to win Game 1 in the first round of this season’s Stanley Cup playoffs. It wasn’t their sharpest game, as they were outshot 30-15 by the Stars, but two of their most important players — both of whom entered the game with the biggest question marks — delivered.
“It’s awesome,” Hanifin said. “He’s our captain and it’s great to see him back. He was super excited and has so much passion for the game. He brings so much energy, and just to see him score there early was awesome for the group.”
The Dallas fans booed Stone mercilessly throughout the game. He was showered with jeers every time he touched the puck, and even during his intermission interview on the bench.
“I don’t know,” Stone quipped after. “I guess they don’t like me.”
Stone’s teammates reveled in the boos. While much of the hockey world sees his return as a loophole in the salary cap by using the long-term injured reserve until the playoffs began, his teammates only see a man who enjoys playing hockey as much (if not more) than anyone. They see their friend, and captain, who has struggled with several scary injuries, back to doing what he loves most.
“I loved it,” Jonathan Marchessault said. “I couldn’t be happier for any guy than him. He’s gone through a lot of adversity over the past few years. The fact that he comes back and gets big goals like that, I mean, it’s unbelievable to have a guy like that on your team and especially as your leader.”
It wasn’t a perfect debut for Stone and Hertl. They’re still ironing out some of their passing at five-on-five, but it was a brilliant start to the postseason for two players trying to find chemistry in the toughest of circumstances.
Both are coming off major surgeries, which is another hurdle, but also could’ve assisted with their instant chemistry. When Hertl arrived in Las Vegas, joining a new team for the first time in his NHL career, Stone was still in the middle of his rehab, so the two spent a lot of time together.
“He showed me around so we hung out a lot together, in the gym and outside the rink,” Hertl said. “We have a good friendship. When you talk with guys and get chemistry off the ice, it helps when you get on the ice. It’s easier to talk.”
The two spent day after day working out in the gym on the second floor of the Golden Knights practice facility.
“Sometimes the workouts would last three or four hours because we were talking so much,” Hertl said with a laugh. “Especially when my wife and kid weren’t there yet, sometimes we start a workout, and it ends up going long because we’re talking about hockey.”
Both love watching hockey. It’s a big reason they’re among the most cerebral players on the ice. Outside of the rink, they spent time together at Stone’s house, mostly watching hockey.
“We watched the games together,” Stone said. “We talked a lot about hockey and had some debates, too. I think it’s awesome to have those kinds of discussions and a lot of theories aligned so I think that helps knowing that you’re kind of on the same page going into games.”
It wasn’t that long ago the two were on opposite ends of a bitter rivalry. Hertl’s Sharks downed Stone’s Golden Knights in the first round of the 2019 playoffs. On Mar. 17, 2021, the two even dropped the gloves and slugged it out — still the only fight of Hertl’s NHL career.
“It’s honestly awesome,” Hertl said. “We had a rivalry, but the first game together was actually a lot of fun. Hopefully, we can just keep getting better and better for our team. I believe we will get better and score a lot of goals.”
They didn’t score at even strength on Monday, but they did have the highest expected goal share of any of Vegas’ forward lines (68.04 percent). Along with Chandler Stephenson, Stone and Hertl wreaked havoc in the neutral zone, forcing several turnovers that led to transition opportunities.
“Obviously there were some hiccups in the game tonight, still trying to find some chemistry, but I think both of us think there were some plays to be made that were just a hair off,” Stone said. “Those will come.”
They did their damage on the power play, which is an area Vegas has struggled for a long time. The Golden Knights scored on both power play opportunities Monday thanks to Stone and Hertl’s presence in front of the net.
Stone is 6-foot-3, 217 pounds. Hertl is 6-3 and 215. Both have the strength to bully their way to the front of the net and the skill to score once they’re there. That’s exactly what happened on Monday.
On Stone’s goal, he tipped the puck perfectly on net while Hertl battled with Stars defenseman Esa Lindell. Stone watched the puck hit the net, screamed toward the bench, and fist-pumped. Hertl pointed at Stone and smiled.
On Hertl’s goal, he showed off his hands. He won the faceoff back to Hanifin and raced to the front of the net, getting there just in time for the release of Hanifin’s shot. He tipped the puck on net, following it as Oettinger made the save, and buried his own rebound to make it 3-1.
“That power play is going to do a lot of damage with Hertl and Stone in the middle,” Marchessault said. “They’re some of the best guys around the net in the league.”
The chemistry that began in the gym talking hockey ended with a fantastic playoff performance that won Game 1.
It wasn’t Stone’s best game, but it was a perfect encapsulation of what he means to the Golden Knights. The emotion he brought, and the two-way game he’s known for. On his first shift of the game, he scored. On his last shift, he laid out to block a shot as the final seconds ticked off the clock. As the final buzzer sounded he was laying on the ice, pumping his fist into the air in victory.
The boos didn’t bother Stone. If anything, they made his return more enjoyable. These are the moments he lives for.
“It’s the playoffs,” he said with a smile. “This is what you play for. Once the game gets going you realize why you play. It’s so much fun to be out there. Even with five minutes left and the crowd gets into it, those are fun experiences.”
(Photo of Tomas Hertl celebrating after his first-period goal: Sam Hodde / Getty Images)
