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The Vegas Golden Knights return home for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Carolina Hurricanes, but they hope to force a Game 7 comeback in Raleigh.
However, things got a lot more difficult with the announcement that forward William Karlsson will not be in the team’s lineup on Sunday.
Karlsson left Game 5 after taking a heavy hit from Carolina defenseman Sean Walker. The 33-year-old Swede initially returned to the bench, but after being assessed by the team’s medical staff, he headed to the locker room and did not return.
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On Saturday, Vegas head coach John Tortorella revealed that Karlsson would not be ready for Game 6, which is a big loss for the team.
After Vegas’ loss in Game 5, Tortorella even highlighted this moment as a turning point in the match.
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Vegas Golden Knights forward William Karlsson was ruled out of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. (James Guillory-Imagn Images)
“When we lose Bill, it messes things up a little bit,” he said, according to Sportsnet. “We lost momentum when we went into penalties. That’s about the same time we lost Bill. We have to find a way.”
“Wild Bill,” as he’s known, is one of four players who were on Vegas’ inaugural roster in 2017. By all accounts, he’s a big part of the locker room, and even though injuries kept him out of all but 14 games during the regular season, he had 9 points (3G, 6A) with a +/- rating of 10.
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William Karlsson is one of four players remaining from the team’s inaugural season. (Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images)
It remains to be seen who will replace Karlsson, but whoever he is will need to stand out.
The other news from Tortorella is that Vegas will stick with goaltender Carter Hart in Game 6. He’s allowed four or more goals in every game in this series, leading to speculation that the Golden Knights might want to try backup Adin Hill – who backed them to a Stanley Cup in 2023 – to try to force a Game 7.
