Stone, rest of line give Knights lift

After losing in the Stanley Cup Final in June, the Golden Knights looked to bolster their forward depth by trading for Max Pacioretty and signing Paul Stastny before the season. At the trade deadline, they dealt for Mark Stone.

Those moves that formed one of the most productive lines in hockey paid dividends Sunday night.

Stone had three goals and two assists, and the Knights beat the Sharks 6-3 in Las Vegas to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series.

It was Stone’s first career hat trick.

Stastny had two goals and three assists, and Pacioretty had a goal and an assist as the Knights captured another high-scoring matchup with the Sharks. Defenseman Shea Theodore had three assists and Marc-Andre Fleury made 25 saves.

“We know we have more to give and we want to contribute for our team,” said Stone, who entering Monday’s games led the league with six goals in the playoffs. “Obviously, we’re adding matchup problems for other teams and we just want to continue to play our game and not stray away from it. As a whole, we’re trying to make sure we’re playing consistent.”

Stastny, who led the league with six assists in the postseason, was tied with Stone for the league lead with eight points. Pacioretty sat third with six points.

“We’re creating a lot of chances off turnovers, and that’s the key to our success,” Stastny said. “We’re not the fastest line, but we have good sticks, good anticipation and know how to read each other.”

Sharks veteran center Joe Thornton was suspended for Game 4 on Tuesday because of what the league called an “avoidable” hit to the head of the Knights’ Tomas Nosek in Game 3.

Kadri draws ban: The NHL suspended Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri for the rest of the first round of the playoffs for cross-checking Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk in the head during the Leafs’ 4-1 loss in Game 2 on Saturday.

It’s the fifth suspension of Kadri’s career.