The Vegas Golden Knights are making only one lineup change as they appear to steal each of the primary two games of the Western Conference Final at Ball Arena — however it doesn’t involve their captain.
Mark Stone stays out of the lineup for Game 2 against the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night, but defenseman Kaedan Korczak will replace Ben Hutton on the blue line, The Athletic’s Jesse Granger confirmed.
It’s expected that Korczak will play on the third pairing with Dylan Coghlan, who scored his first NHL goal since December of 2021 in Game 1. The opposite two defensive pairings should remain intact: Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb on the primary pair, and Noah Hanifin and Rasmus Andersson on the second.
The Knights managed to grab a 1-0 series lead without Stone on Wednesday, outlasting the Avalanche 4-2 of their first West Final game since 2023.
Although the captain still hasn’t been cleared to return, Vegas continues to get contributions from up and down the lineup, with 11 different players recording some extent in Game 1.
Carter Hart was terrific between the pipes, turning aside 36 of 38 shots against an Avs offense that was still dangerous, but not quite as deadly without Cale Makar.
The Avalanche confirmed earlier on Friday that Makar will miss a second consecutive game with an undisclosed injury, an enormous development within the series considering the superstar defenseman had not previously missed a playoff game in his NHL profession.
A lack of Makar’s magnitude is difficult to beat, and Colorado was unable to achieve this on Wednesday, losing just its second game of those Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Golden Knights took advantage of his absence, generating pressure off the frenzy while capitalizing on a few defensive breakdowns.
Now Vegas has an enormous opportunity to take full control of the series before it shifts back to Nevada over the weekend.
Korczak’s insertion into the lineup should add one other layer of mobility to Vegas’ backend, while Hutton exits after skating just over 10 minutes — and recording an assist — in Game 1.
The 25-year-old appeared in 78 regular-season games for the Knights in 2025-26, recording three goals and 16 points while averaging a shade under 16 minutes of ice time per night.
Puck drop for a vital Game 2 is scheduled for just past 8 p.m. ET at Ball Arena on Friday.
The Vegas Golden Knights are making only one lineup change as they appear to steal each of the primary two games of the Western Conference Final at Ball Arena — however it doesn’t involve their captain. Mark Stone stays out of the lineup for Game 2 against the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night, but defenseman Kaedan Korczak will replace Ben Hutton on the blue line, The Athletic’s Jesse Granger confirmed.