LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Vegas Golden Knights returned to City National Arena on Sunday to prepare for the second round against the Anaheim Ducks with a familiar face returning to the ice.
"William Karlsson joined the team in Salt Lake; he practiced there; he continues to progress. Tat's as far as I'll go with respect to his availability," Vegas Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said.
WATCH | Alex Eschelman was at City National Arena to hear McCrimmon's thoughts ahead of Round 2:
While Karlsson's return is unknown, McCrimmon says one thing is for certain: the team has more confidence under head coach John Tortorella.
"Torts has done a really good job in terms of leaning on his assistants. I think he's had a really good touch with how to handle the people," McCrimmon said.
After leading the Golden Knights to a 4-2 series win over the Utah Mammoth in the first round, Tortorella and the team now turn their attention to the Ducks — a club with similarities to Vegas in how they get off the rush and their net-front presence.
"That's how you score goals in front of the net — tips, deflections. You look at how we score, that's how we scored a lot of our goals in the first series, so I think for us as well just making it hard for their goalie, getting in front of his eyes and making it hard on their D, too, that will be a big part of the series," defenseman Noah Hanifin said.
The Golden Knights are one of only two teams — along with the Carolina Hurricanes — to advance to the second round in back-to-back years.
Vegas hosts Anaheim Monday night at 6:30 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena for Game 1 of the second round in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. You can find the full schedule for the second-round series here:
Vegas Golden Knights
Schedule drops for Golden Knights vs. Ducks in Round 2 of Stanley Cup Playoffs
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
-
Wild back Gustavsson with a 2nd-period burst in a 4-2 victory over VGK
Filip Gustavsson made 30 saves and the Minnesota Wild scored three goals in a 3:07 span in the second period in a 4-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday night.
Vegas Golden Knights acquire forward Nic Dowd from
Vegas acquired Dowd in exchange for goaltender Jesper Vikman, a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Entry Draft, and a second-round pick in the 2029 NHL Entry Draft.
Hertl scores in OT to cap Vegas rally in 4-3 victory over Red Wings
Hertl scored in front off a pass from Mitch Marner as Vegas snapped a three-game losing streak. Marner scored the tying goal with 3:24 left in regulation and had two assists.
Vegas Golden Knights acquire Cole Smith from Nashville
The undrafted winger brings size, physicality and penalty-kill ability as Vegas looks to bolster its depth for a playoff push.
