Knights captain Mark Stone (spleen) cleared for practice

Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone was expected to return to the ice Friday, nearly two months after suffering a lacerated spleen.

The club announced Stone received the green light to practice with the team starting with the morning skate and would be wearing a non-contact sweater.

Stone was injured Feb. 20 in a game against the Predators when he collided with Nashville's Yakov Trenin late in the second period of the 5-3 loss. Stone, 31, took a hit in the area of his chest and ribs and later was placed on long-term injured reserve.

At the time of the injury, Stone led the team with 53 points (16 goals, 37 assists) in 56 games. Stone retains the lead in assists but has been passed by forward Jonathan Marchessault in points (67) and goals (41).

The team did not say whether Stone would be available for the playoffs, should the Knights qualify.

Stone has 567 career points (212 goals, 355 assists) in 640 career games in 12 NHL seasons with the Ottawa Senators (2012-19) and the Golden Knights.

The defending Stanley Cup champions, the Knights (42-28-8, 92 points) hold a three-point lead for the second wild card over the St. Louis Blues (42-32-5, 89). The Blues have three games remaining in the regular season while the Knights have four.

The Knights also are in the chase to finish in third place in the Pacific Division. To do so, they'd need to surpass the third-place Los Angeles Kings (42-26-11, 95), who are up by three points.

The Knights host the Minnesota Wild (37-32-9, 83 points) on Friday.