Ryan Stone.

BY GENE PRINCIPE
sportsnet.ca

Ryan Stone's heart was willing but his knee was not.

It was the knee that prevented him from being in the lineup Saturday against the San Jose Sharks. He would have played if he could have, but Oilers coach Pat Quinn decided Stone should sit.

"He wanted to play," said Quinn. "But I saw him limping around a few days ago and felt he needed a break."

This problem is nothing new for Stone who has been struggling with the knee ailment since he was originally hurt Oct. 19 in a game against Vancouver. He had surgery and ended up missing 19 games.

Since his return the forward had played in every game until Saturday. The 24-year-old did take a few practices off to help ease the swelling and now it may be a few more games as the team looks further into finding a solution.

"This might be a congenital issue for Ryan," explained Quinn. "And now we're going to get an MRI done to see what can be done."

As a result of Stone's knee and Fernando Pisani's flu the Oilers played the Sharks short one player with 17 skaters. Stone has played in 27 games this season and has six assists.