The cavalry arrives for the Vegas Golden Knights as they prepare to host the Anaheim Ducks in the Second Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Prior to Monday’s Game 1, head coach John Tortorella confirmed that William Karlsson would return to the lineup.
“Playing,” Tortorella announced simply when asked about Karlsson’s status. “I’m looking forward to getting him back in the lineup.”
Karlsson caused quite the stir in Salt Lake City last Friday when he took the ice with the team for morning skate. Then, Tortorella denied Karlsson’s availability, stating that his involvement in the skate was just for morale purposes.
“He’s just with the team,” said head coach John Tortorella on Friday. “He’s been skating, and we want him around the team… This has nothing to do with Bill being close. He’s gone through his progression, and he’s been working out. We just wanted him to travel.”
Because of the intense physicality involved, hockey is not an honest sport when it comes to injuries. And in the postseason, injured players are surrounded by even more smoke and mirrors. There’s no better example than Karlsson— less than 24 hours ago, general manager Kelly McCrimmon implied that the Original Misfit wasn’t ready to return to the lineup.
“William Karlsson joined the team in Utah late,” McCrimmon said on Sunday. “He was part of practice there; he’ll be part of practice here this morning. He continues to progress; that’s as far as I’ll go with respect to his availability.”
Karlsson played just 14 games during the regular season. He suffered a lower-body injury on November 8th, which kept him out of the lineup until now.
Karlsson’s return does wonders for the team’s morale and increases their chances against the Ducks. The 33-year-old has 31 goals and 71 points in 106 postseason games with the Golden Knights.