Karlsson boosting Golden Knights on, off ice in Western 2nd Round

ANAHEIM -- William Karlsson was addressing the media prior to the biggest game of the season for the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday morning, but the forward had difficulty keeping a straight face with teammate Keegan Kolesar staring him down from the adjacent stall. 

“He’s just laughing. I can’t focus when he’s there staring at me,” Karlsson said, smiling. 

Kolesar fired back, “It’s my stall, where do you want me to go?”

Karlsson and Kolesar ended the interaction with a fist bump, and each went back to his own business. 

It was a moment of levity in an otherwise serious room as the Golden Knights had their game faces on while preparing to face the host Anaheim Ducks in Game 3 of the Western Conference Second Round at Honda Center. 

Vegas went on to win 6-2 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series. Game 4 is here Sunday (9:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN360, SN, TVAS).

Getting Karlsson back in the lineup in Game 1 of this series has been advantageous to the Golden Knights both on and off the ice. 

“He’s a cornerstone to our team. It’s Wild Bill and he’s fun,” Golden Knights defenseman Ben Hutton said Saturday. “He’s fun to make jokes with and lighten the mood, but also on the ice he’s a heck of a player. He can play in any role in any situation. When you get a guy like that, it only helps.”

Three games into his return from a lower-body injury sustained Nov. 8, Karlsson set up linemate Mitch Marner for the goal that gave him a hat trick on Friday. 

“It’s huge. He’s such a key player for our group and does so many of the little things,” Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel said Saturday. “I’m so happy for him. I know how hard he’s worked all year to get back to this position and we’re really happy to have him back. I think he’s done a great job for someone that’s taken so much time away from play as he had, and stepping in and making it look like he’s been with us all along. 

“Tons of credit to him and we know how important he is to our group, so it’s been great having him back.”

Karlsson, 33, is in his ninth season with the Golden Knights and is one of the original Misfits, selected by Vegas in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. 

He won the Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights in 2023 and is a fan favorite both because of his play and infectious personality.

“I knew a little bit about Will coming here,” said Marner, who is in his first season with the Golden Knights, following his hat-trick performance. “I didn’t know as much as people were telling me about him. Obviously, he was big for us at the start of the season and then losing him was a big hit for our team as well. I played the full game with him tonight, a little bit of last game. It’s been really easy to play with him.”

Karlsson is second on Vegas’ all-time points list with 403 (165 goals, 238 assists) in 569 games, 14 points behind Jonathan Marchessault (417 points; 192 goals, 225 assists in 514 games).

Karlsson is tied with Reilly Smith and Shea Theodore for third in career Stanley Cup Playoff points for the Golden Knights with 72 (31 goals, 41 assists) in 109 games, trailing Mark Stone (79 points; 39 goals, 40 assists in 94 games) and Marchessault (75 points; 36 goals, 39 assists in 95 games). He had seven points (four goals, three assists) in 14 games this season before sustaining the injury.

“He makes a lot of great plays,” Marner said. “He seems like he’s always in a great spot defensive-wise as well with his stick and his feet. I think he makes it easy with his ‘D’ to break out pucks, and the ‘D’ just trust that they’re going to go in a battle and Will is going to be there to help them out. It’s been great playing with him the last four periods or five periods, whatever it’s been. We’re just going to try and keep going. We’re going to keep talking to one another (about) where we like to be and where we like to play hockey.”

Golden Knights coach John Tortorella put Karlsson in the middle with Marner at right wing and Brett Howden at left wing in search of offense toward the end of a 3-1 loss in Game 2 on Wednesday. 

The three are expected to play together again in Game 4. 

“I just think having Bill, it just gives me a guy that is a proven star in the National Hockey League, has won and I can use him in a number of spots,” Tortorella said Saturday. “It doesn’t change my thinking of where guys sit in the lineup and where they are as players, where they belong. Bill just gives us a major asset going into the second round.”

Karlsson worked hard to rehabilitate his injury and was hoping the Golden Knights would still be playing by the time he was ready to return. 

Being out as long as he was, Karlsson is expected to continue improving as he gets his timing, wind and game legs back. 

“He was away for quite a while,” Eichel said, “and credit to him for his dedication and his commitment to his rehab and everything he did to put himself in a great position to come back and have success and feel good on the ice. I’m really happy for him and it’s been great to see him out there.”

Just with his presence, it’s obvious Karlsson has lifted the spirits of his teammates in pursuit of the Stanley Cup. 

“It’s fun, it’s good,” Hutton said. “Playoffs is an intense time, but when you get guys like that lightening the mood and making sure everyone is still having fun with it, it can only help.”