Vegas Golden Knights' Stanley Cup Hopes Dwindle After William Karlsson Injury

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Vegas Golden Knights' night went south when William Karlsson left the ice with an injury in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. Karlsson, who had been a key player for the Golden Knights, was knocked out of the game after getting hit into the boards by Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker. The Golden Knights took four penalties that turned into two power-play goals against, and Carter Hart allowed four goals for a fifth consecutive game in the series. The loss puts the Golden Knights on the brink of elimination, with the series now at 3-2 in favor of the Hurricanes. Karlsson had been a game-changer for the Golden Knights, providing strong, reliable center depth needed to win in the playoffs. He had nine points in 14 games after missing the previous six months due to an undisclosed injury. The void left by Karlsson's departure was all too clear, especially on the penalty kill. Carolina's Andrei Svechnikov scored the first of his two power play goals less than four minutes after Karlsson left, then added another in the third. Hart was screened by Jeremy Lauzon on Svechnikov's first goal, and he was hardly to blame for the loss. But Vegas still lost for the 32nd time in 39 times this season and playoffs when allowing four or more. The Golden Knights will need to regroup and come back strong in Game 6 if they want to stay alive in the series.