How the Vegas Golden Knights can adjust without Mark Stone and Jeremy Lauzon

Vegas Golden Knights fans heard the worst news possible on Monday. They heard that Mark Stone and Jeremy Lauzon weren't on the ice for practice, leaving plenty of doubt that they won't play in Game 1 on Wednesday.

Well, at least you got William Karlsson back from his maintenance day. Maybe he can entertain the masses with another drunken, shirtless tirade.

Anyways, that's rough news since the Golden Knights will face the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday. Colorado has countless weapons to rely on, including Martin Necas, Brock Nelson, and the biggest supervillain ever, Nathan MacKinnon.

What about the other side, though? Colorado is dealing with some injuries itself, with Cale Makar having upper-body issues. Thus, Colorado is dealing with the injury bug itself and is sweating what could happen without some of its best players.

Still, let's focus on the Golden Knights' side and hope that both teams are 100% for the series. What must happen for Vegas to win without two key players? Who must take the reins and help the Golden Knights overcome the odds against the President's Trophy winners?

Mitch Marner's magic must shine brightly against the Avalanche

Mitch Marner had himself a massive game against the Anaheim Ducks in Game 6. He scored a SportsCenter-worthy goal to kick the scoring off and added an assist. In turn, Vegas destroyed Anaheim, 5-1, and moved on to the Western Conference Final.

The Golden Knights will need another massive game from the NHL's postseason points leader (18) if they expect to beat the Avalanche. You're not getting Stone to lead the attack, so you'll need his heir apparent to step in and take the reins.

The penalty kill must adjust and take control of faceoffs

The Vegas Golden Knights saw the penalty kill develop some proverbial cracks in the armor after Game 3. The unit allowed four goals in three games, leaving some fans concerned. Of course, Lauzon wasn't on the ice for the entire series, leaving a massive gap.

Yes, one can point to Vegas taking too many penalties as a massive problem. That's especially true when you're facing numerous weapons like Martin Necas, Nathan MacKinnon, and Brock Nelson. That's why you must look at Nic Dowd and Colton Sissons as the main penalty kill weapons that win faceoffs and make clean exits.

Tomas Hertl must continue his momentum

People were wondering when Tomas Hertl would break out of his months-long slump. He hadn't scored a goal since March 4 against the Detroit Red Wings before Game 4 in the second round, leaving fans worried. Well, he changed all that last Sunday and has two goals and two assists since that game.

If the Golden Knights want to beat Colorado without Mark Stone, that starts with the Czech Olympian continuing his momentum. He must cash in on his patented high-danger chances and score a power play goal to build more confidence. That way, Vegas can utilize another weapon in Stone's absence.

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