PITTSBURGH (AP) — Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone left his team's game at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday because of an undisclosed injury.
Penguins defenseman Kris Letang gave Stone a seemingly harmless shove to the left arm with his stick in the neutral zone late in the first period, though it may have caught him in the gap between his elbow and shoulder pads. Stone grimaced in pain, went down to one knee and skated off.
Coach Bruce Cassidy said after a 5-0 loss he assumes Stone will fly with the Golden Knights to Buffalo and figures to have a better update Monday.
"He was getting looked at," Cassidy said. "Upper body is all I was told, and we'll see where it lands."
The 33-year-old winger has a history of injuries sidelining him throughout his NHL career over the past decade-plus, including a wrist injury in the fall. He has never played all 82 games in a season since becoming a full-time player in the league with Ottawa in 2014-15.
Cassidy did not want to use Stone's departure as an excuse for getting shut out by Pittsburgh.
"Mark's had some injuries before, so guys are concerned for him — rightfully so," Cassidy said. "I think that would be the biggest effect: Is he OK, or did he reinjure something he's had in the past? Everybody's kind of worried about that."
Stone is Vegas' second-leading scorer with 60 points in 43 games. He just helped Canada reach the final at the Olympics before losing to the U.S. in overtime.
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