Daily Faceoff is a news site with no direct affiliation to the NHL, or NHLPA

Vegas Golden Knights News

Stone (upper-body) is on the ice for warmups and is expected to return to the Golden Knights lineup on Thursday.

Stone has not played since suffering an upper-body injury on March 1st, but will return for Thursday's game against the Penguins. For the Golden Knights, Stone's return can't come soon enough, as they have gone 1-5-0 since his injury. The 33-year-old forward has been having a tremendous season, producing at a career-best rate with 60 points (21G / 39A) through 43 games.

Mark Stone
Stone (upper-body) is a game-time decision vs. Pittsburgh on Thursday.

Stone has not played since suffering an upper-body injury on March 1st, but he appears to be nearing a return after practicing on Thursday, albeit in a non-contact jersey. For the Golden Knights, Stone's return can't come soon enough, as they have gone 1-5-0 since his injury. The 33-year-old forward has been having a tremendous season, producing at a career-best rate with 60 points (21G / 39A) through 43 games.

Mark Stone
Hill will start vs. Pittsburgh on Thursday.

The Golden Knights have rarely strayed from their goalie rotation in recent weeks, but appear to be trying to get Hill into a groove after a mostly disappointing 2025-26 season, turning to him for a third consecutive start. The 29-year-old Hill was lightly tested in his most recent outing, saving 14 of 16 shots (.875 SV%), but came up short in a 2-1 loss to the Dallas Stars. He has a 3.40 GAA and .832 SV% in four games since returning from the Olympic break (2-3-0). The Golden Knights enter Thursday's contest as -153 home favourites against a Pittsburgh Penguins team that has gone to overtime in three straight games (1-0-2).

Adin Hill
Stone (upper-body) returned to practice in a non-contact jersey on Thursday.

Stone has not played since suffering an upper-body injury on March 1st, but he appears to be nearing a return after practicing on Thursday, albeit in a non-contact jersey. For the Golden Knights, Stone's return can't come soon enough, as they have gone 1-5-0 since his injury. The 33-year-old forward has been having a tremendous season, producing at a career-best rate with 60 points (21G / 39A) through 43 games.

Mark Stone
Hill will start in Dallas on Tuesday.

The Golden Knights will turn to Hill between the pipes for the 17th time this season when they travel to Dallas on Tuesday. Hill was tagged with the loss in his last start, allowing three goals on 18 shots in a 4-2 loss to the Oilers on Sunday. The 29-year-old netminder owns a 6-5-3 record and an .858 SV% on the season. Hill and the Golden Knights enter action on Tuesday at +125 on the money line.

Adin Hill
Schmid will start vs. Minnesota on Friday.

The Golden Knights continue their goalie rotation, hoping one of their goalies can take the reins of the crease, turning to Schmid on Friday against the Minnesota Wild. The 25-year-old Schmid allowed three goals on 28 shots (.893 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 3-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. He has a 3.02 GAA and .886 SV% in his last six games (1-4-1). The Golden Knights enter Friday's contest as slight -106 home favourites against a Wild team coming off an impressive 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Akira Schmid
Vegas has acquired Nic Dowd from Washington for Jesper Vikman, a 2027 3rd round pick and a 2029 2nd round pick.

Dowd has been an effective bottom-six forward for the course of his career and will add some stability to the Golden Knights' lineup as they continue to battle for playoff positioning. The 35-year-old Dowd averaged 15:33 time-on-ice, recording 16 points (4G / 12A), 43 blocks, and 113 hits in 55 games this season with the Washington Capitals.

Nic Dowd
Stone (upper-body) has been placed on IR.

Stone exited Sunday's 5-0 blowout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins after only 6:06 time-on-ice due to an upper-body injury. Fortunately for the Golden Knights, the oft-injured Stone is not expected to be out for an extended time, but he will miss, at minimum, one more game before he is eligible to be activated from Injured Reserve. The 33-year-old forward has been having a tremendous season, producing at a career-best rate with 60 points (21G / 39A) through 43 games.

Mark Stone
Hill will start in Detroit on Wednesday.

Hill will be back between the pipes for the Golden Knights tonight after getting the night off in favour of Akira Schmid on Tuesday. Hill turned in another disappointing performance in his last start, surrendering five goals on 22 shots in a 5-0 loss in Pittsburgh on Sunday. The 29-year-old has struggled to find any sort of consistency this season, posting an ugly .854 SV% and 3.47 GAA across 14 appearances. Hill and the Golden Knights enter action on Wednesday at +115 on the money line.

Adin Hill
Smith is expected to make his Vegas debut on Wednesday vs. Detroit.

The Golden Knights acquired Cole Smith from the Predators for a 2028 3rd Round Pick on Tuesday, and he will make his debut on Wednesday against the Detroit Red Wings. The 30-year-old Smith averaged 14:07 time-on-ice and scored 10 points (6G / 4A) in 42 games with the Predators this season.

Cole Smith
Lavoie has been reassigned to Henderson (AHL).

Lavoie recently made his season debut with the Golden Knights, but will return to Henderson (AHL) to make room for the newly acquired Cole Smith. The 25-year-old Lavoie has been impressive at the AHL level this season, with 25 points (12G / 13A) in 24 games with the Silver Knights.

Raphael Lavoie
Schmid will start in Buffalo on Tuesday.

Adin Hill has been among the league's least reliable goaltenders in recent weeks, and the Golden Knights have surprisingly had to rely on Schmid more than expected as a result. The 25-year-old Schmid has been far from stellar, but has still been far and away better than Hill. Schmid has a 2.60 GAA and .898 SV% in his last nine games (5-3-1). The Golden Knights enter Tuesday's contest as +131 road underdogs against a rolling Buffalo Sabres team that has outscored their opposition 11-5 during a three-game winning streak.

Akira Schmid
Stone (upper-body) is out vs. Buffalo on Tuesday.

Stone exited Sunday's 5-0 blowout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins after only 6:06 time-on-ice due to an upper-body injury. Fortunately for the Golden Knights, the oft-injured Stone is not expected to be out for an extended time, but he will not play on Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres. The 33-year-old forward has been having a tremendous season, producing at a career-best rate with 60 points (21G / 39A) through 43 games.

Mark Stone
Schmid was the first goalie off the ice at Vegas' morning skate.

Adin Hill has been among the league's least reliable goaltenders in recent weeks, and the Golden Knights have surprisingly had to rely on Schmid more than expected as a result. The 25-year-old Schmid has been far from stellar, but has still been far and away better than Hill. Schmid has a 2.60 GAA and .898 SV% in his last nine games (5-3-1). The Golden Knights enter Tuesday's contest as +131 road underdogs against a rolling Buffalo Sabres team that has outscored their opposition 11-5 during a three-game winning streak.

Akira Schmid