Vegas Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella is playing it close to the chest, as the team did not reveal any potential lineup changes in practice ahead of Sunday’s Game 6, per The Athletic’s Jesse Granger.
The top question for Tortorella is which forward will take the place of William Karlsson in Vegas’ lineup.
The 33-year-old Karlsson suffered an apparent upper-body injury midway though the second period of Thursday’s Game 5 after taking a hit from Hurricanes defenceman Sean Walker.
Karlsson left the game and didn’t return as Vegas lost its second straight game to trail 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.
Granger listed two potential options - Reilly Smith, who logged 26 points in 69 games in the regular season and has appeared in six games in these playoffs, or Brandon Saad, who had nine points in 49 regular-season games and has made five appearances in the playoffs so far.
The 35-year-old Smith helped the Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup in 2023, while Saad, 33, has two Stanley Cup titles in his career - 2013 and 2015 with the Chicago Blackhawks. Both veterans can offer some stability in the forwards group as Vegas tries to extend the series on home ice on Sunday.
Tortorella took a defiant stance on Saturday regarding his other potential lineup question for Game 6 in net. Goaltender Carter Hart has struggled mightily in this series, becoming the first goaltender in Stanley Cup Final history to allow four goals in each of the first four games of the Final - and set another record a game later, when he allowed four goals again to make it five for five.
“It’s pretty self-explanatory,” Tortorella told reporters on Saturday regarding his confidence in Hart. When asked about whether having a Stanley Cup-winning option on the bench in Adin Hill, who guided the Golden Knights over the Florida Panthers in 2023, make the decision to stick with Hart more difficult, Tortorella simply replied “No.”
The Hurricanes are looking to clinch their first Stanley Cup title since the 2006 season in Game 6 on Sunday, while Vegas looks to extend the series to a deciding Game 7.
