- Tortorella confirms Karlsson plays Game 1 vs. Anaheim
- Out since November 8 with a lower-body injury, suffered against the Ducks
- Read below for video, lineup options, and what his return changes
William Karlsson is back.
The Vegas Golden Knights confirmed Monday that the veteran center will return to the lineup for Game 1 of their second-round series against the Anaheim Ducks. Karlsson has not played since November 8, when he suffered a lower-body injury, fittingly enough, against this same Ducks team.
Head coach John Tortorella made the call official ahead of puck drop at T-Mobile Arena:
Karlsson finished the regular season with seven points in 14 games. The 33-year-old missed nearly six months and was not expected back unless Vegas made a deep run. The team beat the Utah Mammoth in six during the first round, and he is not waiting around any longer.
He is one of the original Misfits. Vegas grabbed him from Columbus in the 2017 expansion draft, and he has been a steady presence down the middle through every deep playoff run. The 2023 Stanley Cup chase included 17 points in 22 games, second on the team behind Jonathan Marchessault.
That run also included the go-ahead goal he scored in Game 3 of the second round against Edmonton last spring, exactly the kind of moment Tortorella will want again. Here’s the video from that night:
Slotting him back in is the easy part. Figuring out the lineup is trickier.
Jack Eichel is the unquestioned top center. Tomas Hertl handles the second line. Mitch Marner has been playing center on a unit that worked just fine against Utah, with Marner posting a three-point night in the close-out Game 6.
Tortorella has options. The simple play is to keep Marner at center and drop Karlsson onto the third line with Brett Howden. The bolder one moves Marner back to the wing and reshuffles the top six. Either way, this is the kind of problem coaches like having.
Anaheim won all three regular-season meetings between these teams this year, all by 4-3 scores, and the two franchises have never met in the playoffs before. Vegas can use the help.
Game 1 is set for 6:30 p.m. Pacific at T-Mobile Arena.
