Vegas Golden Knights: Stone helps Team Canada to secure QF berth at IIHF Worlds

KOSICE, SLOVAKIA – MAY 21: Pierre-Luc Dubois, Jonathan Marchessault, Philippe Myers and Mark Stone #61 of Canada have a chat during the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Slovakia group A game between Canada and United States at Steel Arena on May 21, 2019 in Kosice, Slovakia. (Photo by Lukasz Laskowski/PressFocus/MB Media/Getty Images)

Vegas Golden Knights forward Mark Stone played a key role as Team Canada moved onto the quarterfinals of the IIHF World Championships earlier today.

The Vegas Golden Knights will have four players fly the flag for the franchise in the latter stages of the tournament following another day to remember in Slovakia.

Let’s start with Team Canada who finished off the preliminary stages of the tournament in style by beating Team USA 3-0 to finish top of Group A.

Canada finished with a flourish and knocked off six straight wins to end the group stages with 18 points following today’s victory.

And it was Stone who started things off after the Golden Knights power forward showed some sick hands from behind the net to feed Pierre-Luc Dubois with a sublime dish.

Kyle Turris and Jared McCann also scored for Team Canada while Matt Murray made 28 saves on his way to securing a shutout between the pipes.

Stone now has nine points (five goals, four assists) in this tournament while both Shea Theodore and Jonathan Marchessault were held without a point by Team USA.

Team Canada will now have a day off before preparing to take on Switzerland in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

And joining them in the quarterfinals will be Golden Knights forward Nikita Gusev and Team Russia following their 7-4 victory over Sweden earlier today.

Artyom Anisimov ties the game 1-1 for @russiahockey_en with @Trekronorse at #IIHFWorlds #SWERUS @NHLBlackhawks pic.twitter.com/iMcKJALNa7
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 21, 2019

Gusev, who has been on an absolute tear for his country, picked up a primary assist on Artyom Anisimov’s game-tying goal in the second period as the Russians exploded into life offensively in the middle period by scoring six unanswered goals.

Team Russia finished in first place in Group B and they will now matchup against Team USA in the quarterfinals, who secured fourth place in Group A.

Gusev finished the preliminary stages of the tournament with 12 points (three goals, nine assists), which was good enough to place him sixth on the scoring leaders board.