Golden Knights’ William Karlsson gets crushing injury update after leaving Game 5

The Vegas Golden Knights have their backs against the wall after suffering a 4-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 of the 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Final.

They may also be without one of their key skaters for the remainder of the series, with forward William Karlsson suffering an apparent injury on Thursday at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Karlsson appeared to suffer the injury while battling for possession of the puck behind the net and getting hit by Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker in the second period.

The 33-year-old Karlsson later skated to the bench and headed to the locker room, unable to return for the rest of the contest — and potentially beyond.

After the game, Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella said that Karlsson is “not going to be with us, probably [for Game 6 and possibly Game 7], via Sportsnet. “We’ve got to find a way to fill that void, not with just one guy but as a team.”

That is simply not the type of news the Golden Knights would love to hear after such a pivotal loss.

William Karlsson, who missed six months of the season, has three goals and six assists in the 2026 playoffs, thus far. While his total of nine points in the postseason is just 10th on the team, he is fifth with a plus-10 in 15 games.

With Karlsson seemingly unlikely to suit up going forward, Tortorella will face the challenge of finding a replacement for Karlsson to anchor the second line alongside Brett Howden and Mitch Marner.

Game 6 of the series will be at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sunday.

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