Golden Knights’ – William Karlsson’s left arm or shoulder injury after just over eight minutes in the second period changed everything as the Golden Knights fell 4-2 to Carolina, with four penalties turning into two power-play goals. Coach John Tortorella said the injury may en
By the time William Karlsson skated off the ice and didn’t return, the Golden Knights’ rhythm had already been disrupted—both on the bench and on the scoreboard.
In Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday night. Carolina cashed in when Vegas took four penalties that turned into two power-play goals. The damage landed fast. Karlsson was knocked into the boards by Hurricanes defenceman Sean Walker a little over eight minutes into the second period. and he appeared to injure his left arm or shoulder. He received medical attention briefly on the bench, skated off, and never came back.
Carter Hart then allowed four goals for a fifth consecutive game in the series as the Golden Knights were beaten 4-2, putting their season in danger as they head toward Game 6 back home in Las Vegas on Sunday.
“When we lose Bill, it kind of screws things up,” Golden Knights coach John Tortorella said. “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.”
Tortorella didn’t soften the message when asked what Karlsson’s status could mean going forward.
“He’s not going to be with us, probably,” Tortorella said. “We’ve got to find a way to fill that void, not with just one guy but as a team.”
Karlsson’s absence loomed immediately on Carolina’s special teams. Less than four minutes after he left the game, Andrei Svechnikov scored the first of his two power-play goals. Svechnikov added another in the third.
“He’s an important piece to us: up the middle of the ice, a penalty killer, power play guy,” Tortorella said. “He’s a winner.”
In Vegas’ dressing room, the loss of Karlsson wasn’t framed as a routine setback. Fourth-liner Nick Dowd called him one of the team’s best players. Defenceman Brayden McNabb—who. along with Karlsson and Shea Theodore. has been in Vegas’ organization for the team’s entire nine-year existence—described Karlsson as a major leader.
“He means so much,” center Jack Eichel said. “He’s a world-class player. He plays in all situations. He’s extremely reliable in our own zone, and he creates a lot of offence. … It’s tough. You lose someone like Karl who’s so valuable to our team and playing so well. But it just means everyone else has to step up.”.
Karlsson, making his playoff debut at the start of the second round, had already been a game-changer for Vegas. He shifted Mitch Marner to the wing and provided the strong. reliable centre depth the team needed through this time of year. Karlsson finished the stretch with nine points in 14 games after missing the previous six months because of an undisclosed injury.
Now, with the series suddenly tilted and the Golden Knights facing elimination, Tortorella is insisting the answer can’t be found in one slot on the lineup card.
“We’ll be back here. We’re just going to do it in a different order,” he said, referencing a potential Game 7 in Raleigh on Tuesday night. “I’m going to leave my clothes here, that’s for sure. They’ll be in the hotel.”
That promise depends on what happens Sunday when Vegas tries to win Game 6 at home in Las Vegas. Hart is expected to be in net again despite posting a save percentage of .856 in the final.
Asked whether he considered switching in backup Adin Hill—who backstopped Vegas to the Cup in 2023—in the third period, Tortorella dismissed the idea immediately.
“That could be the stupidest question I’ve heard,” he said.
The cold part of Thursday night isn’t just the 4-2 loss. It’s how quickly Karlsson’s injury became a bigger absence than the second-period injury itself—one that showed up on the penalty kill, then compounded when Vegas couldn’t stop the momentum from slipping away at the same time the game changed.
William Karlsson Golden Knights Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup Final Game 5 Carter Hart Andrei Svechnikov John Tortorella Nick Dowd Jack Eichel Brayden McNabb Adin Hill Sean Walker Mitch Marner Game 6 Game 7