Oh, captain, my captain! Mark Stone’s hot streak has gotten not-so-quiet anymore, as the Golden Knights’ captain potted two goals, including the overtime winner, in a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Despite allowing the Flyers to tie the game not once but twice, Vegas was able to recover for its second OT win in three games. Let’s delve into what made this effort click for the Golden Knights.

Mark Stone is a one-man difference-maker for Vegas

We’ve written at length before about what the captain means to this Vegas team, and tonight was emblematic of that. His first goal came crashing into the net on the power play, which has soared back into form since his return. Per Statmuse, Vegas’s power play percentage on the season currently sits at 24.5%, good for fifth in the league; however, also per Statmuse, that dropped to 17% in the games Stone missed, and we all remember the slumping while he was gone.

His second goal, the overtime winner, was a thing of beauty. After Jack Eichel capitalized on a Travis Konecny turnover, his patience paid off, as Stone swooped in from the right to poke the feed past Dan Vladar:

STONE COLD IN OVERTIME!! 🥶

Mark Stone wins it for the @GoldenKnights in @Energizer OT! pic.twitter.com/150upT4E9m

— NHL (@NHL) December 12, 2025

With that, the captain is now at six goals and 24 points in just 14 games. He’s posted at least one point in every game he’s played. Vegas is 6-5-5 without him this year, and 9-1-4 with him. What more needs to be said? There’s zero reason he should be considered anything but a lock for Team Canada, despite what some online may say.

Akira Schmid isn’t giving up the starting job without a fight

With Carter Hart now providing a challenge to Akira Schmid’s interim starter role, the pressure was on for the Swiss netminder, and he’s lived up to it. Fresh off a 24-save shutout of his former team in New Jersey, Schmid had a good night Thursday, even if his save percentage didn’t necessarily reflect it. Per MoneyPuck, Schmid actually posted roughly half a goal saved above expected, and went a perfect 3-for-3 on high-danger shots against. He made some crazy saves throughout the game, and in general, looked every bit as good as he’s been all year.

Schmid’s playing under some added pressure with the Olympics coming up. Despite being the only active Swiss goalie in the NHL, he wasn’t included on NHL.com’s original Swiss roster projection. Between this and his place on VGK’s roster, his 11-2-4 makes it seem that he’s thriving under the pressure. All we know for sure is the Golden Knights will have yet another goalie controversy when Adin Hill returns.

The penalty kill was rock-solid all night

Three opportunities, zero goals for Philadelphia. The Golden Knights’ 12th-ranked penalty kill continued its solid run with a perfect night against an admittedly poor Flyers power play. Not just were no goals allowed, but barely any shots were either; across all three, Vegas allowed just a single shot to Philadelphia, giving the aforementioned Schmid a much easier experience than expected.

Now, that’s not to say that Vegas was perfect defensively, as it felt as if the Flyers spent most of the 2nd period in Vegas’s zone. That said, no team can be perfect, and if the 5-on-5 defense is off some nights, it is what it is.

Next up, Vegas visits the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday to cap off the road trip. With a three-day break and a return home looming, the Knights have a chance to grab nine of 10 points from what’s been a brilliant road trip thus far.