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.
-
Brayden McNabb's Stanley Cup Final status unclear after taking puck to the face
Coach John Tortorella had no update on McNabb on Friday other than to confirm the 35-year-old was traveling home with the team. Game 3 is Saturday in Las Vegas.
Stanley Cup Final tied at 1-1 after Golden Knights drop Game 2 in overtime
The Hurricanes defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday night to tie the series.
Golden Knights' McNabb leaves game after taking a puck to the face
Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb left Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final after taking a puck to the face.
Original Vegas Golden Knights make an early impact in the Stanley Cup Final
William Karlsson, Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb are the only three players who have been around for all nine seasons of the franchise's existence and hoisted the Cup in 2023.
