Daily Nuggets: Epic Golden Knights Win, Stone Injured; Roy Fine Explained

Good morning, folks. Saturday was a slow day in the news cycle, but there’s much to discuss about the Vegas Golden Knights. They won a crucial Game 3 on the road against the Edmonton Oilers. More than that, they did so in a way that reminds us all that hockey is, at the end of the day, part of the entertainment business. Talk about drama!

Of course, nothing comes without a price. The injury report is piling up for the Golden Knights. That’s to be expected this time of year. But it means they’ll need depth players to step up– guys like Nic Roy, who scored in Game 3 after escaping his DoPS hearing without a suspension. 

Elsewhere in the Daily Nuggets, the Stanley Cup Playoffs rage on. There are two more games on Sunday, and if the first few in the respective series were anything to go off of, they’ll be quite entertaining. The Edmonton Oilers are showing a concerning trend, and Brad Marchand is officially part of Florida Panthers history.

Before we get into hockey, allow me to take a moment to say Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms out there. Give your Mom a call and tell her you love her. Maybe take her to brunch. That’s my plan for the day.

Okay. Let’s dive right in!

Golden Knights News

Okay, let’s get the big one out of the way first: the Golden Knights played a must-win Game 3 on Saturday. They saw their lead evaporate in the final few minutes of the third period when Connor McDavid’s pass attempt went in off of Brayden McNabb’s skate. 

And then, magic. 

Reilly Smith scored the game-winner with .4 seconds remaining in regulation. It was the third-latest game-winning goal in Stanley Cup Playoffs history. That’s the sort of thing that can change a series. My analysis here:

Nic Roy scored the first Golden Knights goal of the game. His goal is slightly controversial because many believe he should have been suspended following his cross-check against Trent Frederic. Instead, he escaped his hearing with the Department of Player Safety with a hefty fine– much more than we’re used to seeing. Allow me to explain why:

Now, the bad news. Golden Knights captain Mark Stone exited Game 3 following an awkward collision with Corey Perry. Head coach Bruce Cassidy didn’t have much of an update following the game.

“[Stone] will be listed as day-to-day; we’ll see tomorrow how he’s feeling,” said Cassidy postgame. “He didn’t return, we saw that, but that doesn’t preclude him from playing the next game. We’ll know more tomorrow.”

Oh, one more bit of good news: unfathomable though it may be, Brayden McNabb played on Saturday. I find it hard to believe he’s anywhere near 100% healthy. It’s just physics– it’s not often that a 6’4, 215 lb guy goes into the boards at the speed he did and escapes unscathed. And yet, he played. And he played well.

NHL News, Rumors, & National Hockey Now

The Athletic ($): While the Golden Knights celebrated Reilly Smith’s heroic game-winner, the Edmonton Oilers and their fans fell into a stunned silence. They say that once is a coincidence, but twice is a pattern. And there’s a very concerning pattern creeping into focus for the Oilers.

The Athletic ($): Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz is “progressing” in his recovery. Unfortunately, for the Leafs, it doesn’t sound like he’ll draw back into the lineup in this series. If they want to beat the Florida Panthers, they’ll have to do it without Stolarz.

Sportsnet: The NHL revealed the third batch of skaters for their Quarter-Century Team, and two of them faced the Golden Knights on Saturday. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl headline the group of skaters who debuted in the 2010s.

Sportsnet: In Saturday’s first Stanley Cup Playoff game, the Carolina Hurricanes faced the Washington Capitals. The Hurricanes shook off a slow start, smothered the Capitals, and won 4-0 to take a 2-1 series lead.

Florida Hockey Now: When Brad Marchand scored in overtime in Game 3, two things happened. He got the Panthers back into the series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. But he also enshrined his name in Panthers history.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The 2025 IIHF World Championship is off to an exciting start. Team Canada is probably the favorite, and they rolled to an easy 4-0 win over Slovenia on Saturday. Marc-André Fleury did not play.

Colorado Hockey Now: Is the Avalanche’s Cup window closing? What will they do this offseason after their painful exit from Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs? All that and more in Aarif Deen’s Avalanche Mailbag.