The Vegas Golden Knights held their gameday morning practice and did so without William Karlsson but he is still expected to play in Game 3.
The Vegas Golden Knights held their gameday morning practice and did so without William Karlsson but he is still expected to play in Game 3.
Pavel Dorfeyev practiced on the third line with Tomas Hertl and Anthony Mantha. The second line was Brett Howden, Chandler Stephenson and Mark Stone.
With Karlsson available to play, HC Bruce Cassidy's decision on the lines may change. At the moment he is currently debating using the same lines from Game 1 and 2 or changing it up. If he were to change the lines Karlsson would skate alongside Hertl and Mantha.
Through two games Karlsson has yet to register a point but is being utilized in a defensive role. He's averaging just 18 seconds of power play time and is starting 22% of his shifts in the defensive zone, the most on the team. Just 7.3% of his shifts start in the offensive zone which is the fifth least on the Golden Knights.
Karlsson has always been a bit under-appreciated on the Golden Knights. He scored 30 goals and 60 points this season and has started the playoffs in a different role and hasn't complained once.
The 31-year-old understands the matchup and what he needs to do to beat the Dallas Stars and is doing exactly that. He's accepted his role as a shutdown centre and this has allowed Jack Eichel to get favourable matchups to produce more offence.
The Golden Knights can't afford to lose Karlsson and should be doing everything they can to ensure he is available for every game.
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