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The Vegas Golden Knights are headed back 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, things just got a lot tougher with news that forward William Karlsson will not be in the team’s lineup on Sunday.
Karlsson exited 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 evaluated 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 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.
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Vegas Golden Knights forward William Karlsson has been ruled out of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. (James Guillory-Imagn Images)
“When we lose Bill, it kind of screws things up,” he said, per Sportsnet. “We lost momentum when we went back-to-back in penalties. It was about the same time that 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’ inaugural roster in 2017. Obviously, he’s a big part of the locker room, and while injuries kept him out of all but 14 games during the regular season, he’s got 9 points (3G, 6A) with a +/- rating of 10.
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William Karlsson is one of just four players left from the team’s inaugural season. (Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images)
It remains to be seen who will replace Karlsson, but whoever it is will need to come up big.
The other piece of 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 this series, leading to speculation that the Golden Knights might want to try backup Adin Hill — who backstopped them to a Stanley Cup in 2023 — to try to force a Game 7.