The Vegas Golden Knights are facing elimination in the Stanley Cup Final after a Game 5 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night.
As if that wasn't a precarious situation already, things worsened for Vegas following an in-game injury to forward William Karlsson.
Karlsson exited during the second period after taking a hit from Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker and did not return to the game. He was seen in discomfort on the bench before heading to the locker room.
After the game, Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella hinted at Karlsson missing the remainder of the series.
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“He’s not going to be with us, probably, so we gotta find a way to fill that void, not just with one guy, but as a team,” Tortorella said.
Vegas went on to lose 4-2 to the Canes, falling behind 3-2 in the best-of-seven matchup.
Karlsson had been a key contributor since returning to action on May 4 after missing significant time during the regular season. The forward has scored three goals and assisted on six more across 15 postseason games.
“He’s an important piece for us,” Tortorella said. “Up the middle of the ice, penalty killer, power-play guy, and he’s a winner.”
“He means so much,” Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel said. “He’s a world-class player. He plays in all situations.”
Vegas will return home to host Game 6 (Sunday at 8 p.m. ET), needing a win to extend the series to a seventh game.
