William Karlsson to Return in Game 1 for Golden Knights
William Karlsson will play for the Vegas Golden Knights against the Anaheim Ducks in Game 1 of the Western Conference Second Round on Monday. He had not played since Nov. 8 because of a lower-body injury, and his return gives Vegas a center who has been central to its playoff runs back on the ice.
Karlsson Returns at T-Mobile Arena
The game is set for T-Mobile Arena, where Karlsson said he is ready to go after a long layoff. “I’m very excited,” he said. “Yeah, I’m ready to go. It’s been a long journey, but now I’m here, so it feels good.”
He added that he wants to get into the game quickly. “I just want to get into the groove and hopefully play a good game,” Karlsson said. “It’s the playoffs, so there’s no, like, waiting around and easing in. It’s just, you’ve got to get into it.”
William Karlsson’s Long Road Back
Karlsson practiced with Henderson of the American Hockey League last week before joining Vegas in practice on Thursday and Sunday. That ramp-up ended a stretch that began with his last game on Nov. 8, a gap that stretched through the regular season and into the second round.
The Ducks drafted Karlsson in the second round, No. 53, of the 2011 NHL Draft, and he played 18 games for them in 2014-15 before a trade to the Columbus Blue Jackets on March 2, 2015. Vegas later selected him in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft after Columbus left him unprotected, and he turned into one of the franchise’s defining players.
Golden Knights History With Karlsson
Karlsson had 50 points in his first 183 games with Vegas before posting 78 points in 82 games in his first season with the team. He helped the Golden Knights reach the Stanley Cup Final that season, then remained part of the core that won the Stanley Cup in 2023.
His place in team history is already secure. Karlsson ranks second in Golden Knights regular-season history with 403 points in 569 games and fourth in playoff history with 71 points in 106 games. Jonathan Marchessault is first in regular-season points with 417 in 514 games.
Tortorella and Karlsson
John Tortorella coached Karlsson in Columbus from 2015-17 and later replaced Bruce Cassidy as Golden Knights coach on March 29. Tortorella remembered reaching out when Karlsson was with the Blue Jackets and later watching the season that followed. “I called Bill after we lost him and then he had that great year,” Tortorella said. “I called Bill and said, ‘Did I screw up?’ We had a great conversation. He goes, ‘No. Everything I’m shooting’s going in the net.’”
Karlsson remembered the call from Sweden and shrugged at the path that brought him back to this moment. “Yeah, I do remember it,” he said. “I was back home in Sweden, and he gave me a call. Yeah, long time ago now. But yeah, older now, and hopefully … It was just meant to be, you know? It’s just the way it goes.”
