Karlsson Ruled Out for Game 6 as Golden Knights Face 3-2 Hole — Nhl Score
William Karlsson is out for Game 6, and the Vegas Golden Knights face a 3-2 hole in the Stanley Cup Final with nhl score pressure at its highest. Sunday’s game at T-Mobile Arena starts at 8 p.m. ET, and Vegas must win to keep its season alive and force Game 7 in Raleigh on Wednesday.
William Karlsson Leaves Vegas Shorthanded
Karlsson was knocked out midway through the second period of Game 5 after favoring his left arm and wrist on Thursday. His absence removes a center who had returned to anchor a line with Mitch Marner and Brett Howden, a combination that at times has been Vegas’s best this postseason.
Marner said the adjustment starts with a simple response. “It obviously (stinks) losing Will, but it’s a next-man-up mentality,” he said after Karlsson was ruled out. “So, we’ve just got to be ready to go. It’s obviously a tough hole to fill in a way, but at the same time everyone on the ice has to do a better job defensive-wise helping out and making sure we take advantage of offensive chances.”
Mitch Marner Could Move Center
Coach John Tortorella may have to mix up his lines because of Karlsson’s absence, and Marner could shift to center if needed. He filled that role for much of the season when Karlsson was out with a lower-body injury, so the Golden Knights have at least used that look before in this series and during the regular season.
The roster also carries the weight of recent history. Twelve players were on the team that won the championship on June 13, 2023, while Brayden McNabb, Shea Theodore, Reilly Smith and Karlsson were part of the 2017-18 expansion group that reached the final five years earlier. Vegas lost that final, then won its title five years later, and now needs another answer with its season on the line.
Carter Hart Puts Pressure On Vegas
Carter Hart has given Vegas another obstacle. He became the first goalie in Stanley Cup Final history to allow at least four goals in each of the first five games of the series, yet he still owns a.856 save percentage and a 3.70 goals-against average against the Hurricanes.
That leaves the Golden Knights with one clear assignment. McNabb said, “It’s simple: go win a game,” then added, “Win a game, and go to Carolina for Game 7.” Ivan Barbashev called it “a really important game for us” and said, “We want to do everything we can to force a seventh and deciding game.”
