Stone takes blame for Golden Knights' elimination: 'I got skunked'

Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone is shouldering the responsibility for his team's disappointing series loss against the Montreal Canadiens.

"I got skunked this series. That can't happen," Stone said following the 3-2 overtime defeat in Game 6, according to The Athletic's Jesse Granger. "I'm the captain of this team. I'm the leader of this team. I take a lot of responsibility for what occurred."

Stone, who led Vegas with 61 points during the regular season, failed to register a point in the series. He only recorded seven shots in the six contests.

There was plenty of speculation that Stone's lackluster play was due to a lingering injury, but he told reporters that was not the case.

Golden Knights head coach Peter DeBoer insisted fingers shouldn't be pointed squarely at Stone.

"I'm not surprised he's taking that on himself, but that's not a load he needs to carry and definitely not alone," DeBoer said, according to Justin Emerson of the Las Vegas Sun.

Stone was acquired in a trade with the Ottawa Senators in February 2019 and shortly after signed an eight-year, $76-million extension to stay in Sin City. He became the first captain in Golden Knights history prior to this season.

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