With their season on the line against the Edmonton Oilers in Game Five, the Vegas Golden Knights might now have to do it without some key players.
According to SinBin, the Golden Knights are expecting to play Game Five without captain Mark Stone and forward Brandon Saad. Those two, along with defensemen Alex Pietrangelo and Brayden McNabb, were not on the ice during the team’s morning skate. However, Pietrangelo and McNabb are expected to be in against the Oilers.
Multiple sources have confirmed to us that VGK are proceeding forward with the expectation that Mark Stone will NOT play tonight.
Both McNabb and Pietrangelo are expected to go.
Brandon Saad is not expected back in this series.
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) May 14, 2025
With Stone and Saad out of the lineup, it is expected that Tanner Pearson and Cole Schwindt will play in Game Five. Pearson has played seven games so far in the 2025 playoffs, recording one assist. Schwindt will become the second Golden Knight to make their postseason debut this year, after defenseman Kaedan Korczak appeared in Game One against the Oilers.
“That’s a little bit of what you’d hope for. They’ve been waiting their turn. You’re hoping they want to be the guy in there,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “The guy knows that there are other guys ahead of him. It’s his turn to come in and make sure he holds the fort down in his role. So you’ve got to be careful. You’re hoping for some level of excitement and pull the line along for short periods of time.”
Being without key players is a concern for the Golden Knights, but maybe a fresh look is what is needed to stave off elimination and try to work their way back into the series.
