NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
The Vegas Golden Knights are headed home for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Carolina Hurricanes, but they’ll be hoping to force a Game 7 back in Raleigh.
However, it just got a lot harder with the news that forward William Karlsson will not be in the team’s lineup on Sunday.
Karlsson left Game 5 after taking a hard hit from Carolina defenseman Sean Walker. The 33-year-old Swede initially returned to the bench, but after being evaluated by the team’s medical staff, he went to the locker room and did not return.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
On Saturday, Vegas head coach John Tortorella revealed that Karlsson will not be ready for Game 6, which is a big loss for the team.
After Vegas’ Game 5 loss, Tortorella even pointed to that moment as a turning point in the game.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
Vegas Golden Knights forward William Karlsson has been ruled out of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals. (James Guillory-Imagn Photos)
“When we lose Bill, it ruins something,” he told Sportsnet. “We lost momentum when we went back-to-back in penalties. That was around the same time we lost Bill. We’ve got to find a way.”
“Wild Bill,” as he’s known, is one of just four players who were on Vegas’ first roster in 2017. He’s obviously a big part of the locker room, and even though injuries kept him out of all but 14 regular-season games, he’s put up 9 points (3G, 6A) with a +/- rating of 10.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pakinomist APP
William Karlsson is one of only four players remaining from the team’s inaugural season. (Stephen R. Sylvania-Imagn Images)
It remains to be seen who will replace Karlsson, but whoever it is will have to come up big.
The other news from Tortorella is that Vegas will stick with goaltender Carter Hart in Game 6. He has allowed four or more goals in every game in this series, leading to speculation that the Golden Knights might try to help Adin Hill — who shut them down to a Stanley Cup in 2023 — to try to force a Game 7.
