LAS VEGAS —Mark Stone flung himself at the glass behind the Winnipeg Jets’ net, got tackled by teammates and slammed his stick on the ice.
The Vegas Golden Knights captain had three months of pent-up energy to release after sitting out 39 games with a back injury that required surgery. And did he ever.
Stone celebrated his first goal since Jan. 5 with all the enthusiasm the Knights have come to expect from their emotional leader. His trademark explosive celebrations were back Thursday. In what surely wasn’t a coincidence, so was the Knights’ swagger.
Despite taking body blows in the form of a 5-1 Game 1 loss and a rough first period Thursday, the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed showcased the resiliency that has been a hallmark of their game all season. The Knights, behind three points from Stone, rallied from an early 1-0 deficit to defeat the Jets 5-2 in Game 2 at T-Mobile Arena.
They tied the best-of-seven series 1-1 before the action switches to Winnipeg for Games 3 and 4.
It was a critical win for the home side. Higher seeds that split the first two games go on to advance 54.9% of the time. Those that go down 0-2 move on 19% of the time.
The Knights tried to downplay expectations for Stone heading into the playoffs.
He was activated off long-term injured reserve to play in Game 1 after undergoing back surgery Jan. 31. The Knights knew there would be rust to shake off and that Stone couldn’t immediately become the two-way terrorizing force he is at his best.
They were right. He wasn’t at his best in Game 1 despite playing 21:28, second-most on the team and tops among forwards. But it didn’t take him much longer than that.
Stone recorded a point on all three third-period goals that allowed the Knights to pull away from the Jets after entering the period tied 2-2.
He set up defenseman Alex Pietrangelo for a shot off a faceoff 5:37 into the third, and center Chandler Stephenson cleaned up the rebound to give his team a 3-2 lead. Stephenson returned the favor 7:24 later on a play that sent Stone and the announced crowd of 18,333 into a frenzy.
Stone tipped the puck past goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, then went berserk with his teammates. He added one more goal to seal the Knights’ win with 2:30 remaining.
The team improved to 5-1 in its history in Game 2s after losing Game 1. The Knights haven’t lost two in a row in regulation since Jan. 16 and 19.
Here are three takeaways from the win:
1. Centers of attention
The Knights’ three goals that didn’t come from Stone all belonged to three of their men down the middle, including Stephenson.
Jack Eichel, after a nondescript playoff debut, drew two penalties, put three shots on goal and scored his first postseason goal in 19:04 of ice time.
William Karlsson’s high-effort hockey was again noticeable all night. He scored for the second straight game and had three shots.
2. Goalie duel
Goaltender Laurent Brossoit outdueled his former partner Hellebuyck for his first postseason win.
Brossoit made 31 saves against his former team, including 16 in the first period. He made some impressive stops to hold off an early Winnipeg charge.
Hellebuyck had 34 saves, including an incredible stop in the first period on Stephenson.
3. Doing it all
Pietrangelo finished with two points for his 10th career multipoint game in the playoffs.
The 33-year-old played an important role for his team on both ends of the ice. He spent the majority of his five-on-five time against the Jets’ top line of left wing Kyle Connor, center Pierre-Luc Dubois and right wing Mark Scheifele. All three players were held off the scoresheet.
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