Golden Knights’ William Karlsson leaves Game 5 with injury, unlikely to play again in Stanley Cup Final
The Vegas Golden Knights have suffered a major blow to their lineup, as center William Karlsson has left Game 5 of their Stanley Cup Final match against the Carolina Hurricanes due to an injury.
William Karlsson went to the dressing room following this hit He has yet to return at the start of the third period of Game 5
The injury occurred midway through the game when Karlsson skated behind the Hurricanes net to battle for the puck with Sean Walker. Karlsson got to the puck first, and Walker played the body and hit him into the boards. Karlsson immediately looked to be in discomfort, and went to the bench.
Karlsson went to the dressing room shortly after the play and did not return to the game. While the Golden Knights have yet to confirm Karlsson won’t return to the game, ESPN insider Emily Kaplan reported on the game broadcast that Karlsson had actually left the arena and gone to a nearby hospital, effectively confirming his departure.
Karlsson leaves the game with a shot on goal in 8:43 of ice time, with the Hurricanes going on to win the game by a score of 4-2.
Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella informed the media after Game 5 that while he didn’t have a specific update, it was unlikely that Karlsson would return to the series.
John Tortorella says William Karlsson isn't likely to return to the Stanley Cup Final.
Karlsson already missed the final 68 games of the regular season, as well as the first six games of the playoffs, but that was due to a lower-body injury. While the type of injury Karlsson sustained in Game 5 is not confirmed, his reaction indicated it might be an upper-body injury.
When Karlsson was healthy, he’s been the usual two-way forward the Golden Knights have come to expect from him for the past nine years. He had four goals and three assists for seven points in 14 regular season games, and has three goals and six assists for nine points in 15 games thus far in the playoffs.
With Karlsson likely out for the rest of the series, Brandon Saad or Reilly Smith are the only other forwards who have drawn into the lineup for the Golden Knights in the playoffs, so they will be the likely candidates to take Karlsson’s place.