The Ottawa Senators’ late season rise has been led by unlikely heroes and Mark Stone is among them. The 22-year-old rookie has been on fire during Ottawa’s incredible 20-3-3 run and entered this afternoon’s season finale against the Philadelphia Flyers on an eight-game point streak.
It didn’t take long for Stone to extend that streak to nine and give the Senators an early lead as he took advantage of Flyers goaltender Steve Mason’s mishandling of the puck:
That was Stone’s 25th goal of the campaign. Although for much of the season Calgary’s Johnny Gaudreau and Nashville’s Filip Forsberg have been dominating the Calder Trophy discussion, Mark Stone deserves to be in that conversation as well. After that marker, Stone is just a point behind Gaudreau and Forsberg in the rookie scoring race.
If Ottawa gets at least a point against Philadelphia today then the Senators will secure a postseason berth. That being said, a win would give them a chance to take the third Atlantic Division seed away from Detroit.
Mark Stone just moved into a tie for 14th place in goals scored by players taken in the 2010 NHL Draft. He was taken 178th.
— Arpon Basu (@ArponBasu) April 11, 2015
With Stone's goal #Sens haven't been shutout in 124 games dating back to Dec 27/13. The longest such streak in #NHL.
— Murray Pam (@Pammerhockey) April 11, 2015